Gut bacterial microbiome and diabetic retinopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
The gut microbiome can play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aimed to synthesize the evidence regarding the relationship between the dysbiosis of the gut bacterial microbiome and DR. A systematic search was conducted across several databases. The outcomes included alpha diversity and/or relative abundance of the gut bacterial microbiome. The results were pooled and presented as the standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals. Nine studies were included. The reported indices of alpha diversity were quantitatively pooled using a random effects model, as significant heterogeneity was detected. There was no significant difference between the DR and DM in any of the pooled indices (all p-values >0.05). In addition, pooling of relative abundance was conducted using a random effects model for all phyla, as significant heterogeneity was detected. There was no significant difference between the DR and DM in any of the pooled estimates (all p-values >0.05). The current meta-analysis revealed a lack of significant differences in alpha diversity indices between diabetic patients with and without DR. This lack of significance was observed not only across all measured indices of alpha diversity, but also at the level of major bacterial phyla.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Bile Acid 7α-Dehydroxylating Gut Bacteria Secrete Antibiotics that Inhibit Clostridium difficile: Role of Secondary Bile Acids
- Ketogenic diet alleviates colitis by reduction of colonic group 3 innate lymphoid cells through altering gut microbiome
- Altered gut microbiome composition and function are associated with gut barrier dysfunction in healthy relatives of patients with Crohn's disease
- Diet, obesity, and the gut microbiome as determinants modulating metabolic outcomes in a non-human primate model
- Immune Impairment Associated with Vitamin A Deficiency: Insights from Clinical Studies and Animal Model Research
- Glyphosate-based herbicides influence antioxidants, reproductive hormones and gut microbiome but not reproduction: A long-term experiment in an avian model
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.