糖尿病網膜症の進展と赤血球中アルドース還元酵素量との関連

Correlation between stages of diabetic retinopathy and the level of aldose reductase in erythrocytes

　糖尿病網膜症患者の赤血球中アルドース還元酵素（AR）量を測定し，その値と網膜症の進展との関連を検討した。対象は，単純型9例，増殖型28例の糖尿病網膜症患者37例で，1日2回（6時と14時）の赤血球中AR量を酵素免疫学的に測定した。それぞれの時間ごとのAR量については，単純型・増殖型間で有意差はみられなかった。2回目（14時）と1回目（6時）の測定値の比を変動率とすると，増殖型では単純型と比較して変動率が有意に高かったことから，ヒト赤血球中AR量には日内変動がみられ，日内変動が大きいことが網膜症進展の危険因子のひとつになるのではないかと考えた。

We quantitated the level of aldose reductase in erythrocytes in 37 patients with diabetic retinopathy. The retinopathy was simple in 9 cases and proliferative in 28. Measurements were made at 6 and 14 o'clock in the same day using immunosoluent assay. There were no differences in the value of aldose reductase at each measurement between patients with simple and proliferative retinopathy. The ratio of the value at 6 against 14 o'clock, or the rate of diurnal variation, was significantly higher in patients with proliferative than simple retinopathy (p＜0.02). Increased diurnal variation in aldose reductase in eryth-rocytes appeared to be one of the risk factors for the progression of diabetic retinopathy.