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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Ophthalmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1546214
This article is part of the Research Topic Prevention and Treatment Advancements in Diabetic Retinopathy View all 4 articles
Association of serum selenium levels with diabetic retinopathy: the NHANES 2011-2016
Provisionally accepted- China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Ophthalmology, Beijing, China
Background: Numerous studies have established a clear link between serum selenium levels and various health outcomes. However, to date, only studies have found an association between serum selenium levels and diabetic retinopathy(DR). The exact link between them is unclear. We are adding data from different patient populations. Methods: Data from 645 adults, collected through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2011 and 2016, were analyzed. The association between serum selenium levels and the incidence of DR was assessed using binary logistic regression. Subgroup analysis, smoothed curve-fitting analysis, and propensity score weighting were used to investigate the association further.Results:According to the multivariate analysis, there was no statistically significant linear association between serum selenium levels and the probability of developing DR (P > 0.05). Segmented regression analysis, however, showed that the chance of getting DR was considerably lower when selenium levels hit the threshold of 106.8 μg/L (OR = 0.88, P = 0.0107). Conclusions: A U-shaped curve represents the link between serum selenium levels and DR. The incidence of DR is elevated in individuals with serum selenium levels that are either higher or lower than the optimal range.
Keywords: Selenium, Diabetic Retinopathy, NHANES, Epidemiology, Cross-sectional study
Received: 16 Dec 2024; Accepted: 21 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Sun, gu, Hao and Xie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiaofeng Hao, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Ophthalmology, Beijing, China
Like Xie, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Ophthalmology, Beijing, China
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