抄録
The correlation of Plasma β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) activity and the development of diabetic retinopathy was observed in 117 diabetic patients (male 52, female 65) who had been observed for 2years. The plasma NAG activity was measured at least 3 times per year (6-9 times altogether). The eye-ground findings at the beginning of the study and 2years later were studied according to Scott's classification. Forty-four percent (19 cases) of the 43 patients with higher NAG activity (<525nmole/h/ml) and 27%(20 cases) of the 74 patients with lower NAG activity (≤525nmole/h/ml) showed a worsening of the eye findings (p<0.05). The frequencies of patients showing a worsening of the eye findings in patients with higher fasting blood glucose (FBG) values (≥140mg/dl) and in patients with lower FBG values (<140mg/dl) were 45%(17 in 38 cases) and 28%(22 in 79 cases), respectively (p<0.1). When the NAG activity and the FBG value were considered together, there were 16 patients with both higher FBG values and higher NAG activity, 49 patients with either higher FBG values or higher NAG activity, and 52 patients with both lower FBG values and lower NAG activity. The frequencies of the patients who had a worsening of the eye findings were 56%(9 cases), 37%(18 cases), and 23%(12 cases), respectively. The difference was significant (p<0.05). In the present study, the plasma NAG activity showed no relation to diabetic retinopathy, but the results suggest that the plasma enzyme estimation may add further information to the FBG value and so help in predicting the development of diabetic retinopathy.
