High remnant cholesterol level is relevant to diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the primary oculopathy causing blindness in diabetic patients. Currently, there is increasing interest in the role of lipids in the development of diabetic retinopathy, but it remains controversial. Remnant cholesterol (RC) is an inexpensive and easily measurable lipid parameter; however, the relationship between RC and DR in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been elucidated. This research investigates the relevance between RC levels and DR severity while building a risk prediction model about DR. Methods In this single-centre retrospective cross-sectional study. Each hospitalised T2DM patient had no oral lipid-lowering drugs in the past three months, and coronary angiography showed epicardial coronary artery stenosis of less than 50% and completed seven-field stereo photographs, fluorescein fundus angiography, and optical coherence tomography detection. The RC value is calculated according to the internationally recognised formula. Binary logistic regression was used to correct confounding factors, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to identify risk factors and assess the nomogram’s diagnostic efficiency. Results A total of 456 T2DM patients were included in the study. The RC levels in the DR team was higher [0.74 (0.60–1.12) mmo/l vs 0.54 (0.31–0.83) mmol/l P