Elevation in Circulating Soluble CD40 Ligand Concentrations in Type 2 Diabetic Retinopathy and Association with its Severity.

Background: To investigate the relationship between changes in circulating soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) levels and the presence and severity of type 2 diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Subjects And Methods: sCD40L plasma concentrations were measured in 205 type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients without DR (DWR; n=50) and with DR (n=155), the latter subdivided into non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy [NPDR; n=98 (63.2%)], or proliferative retinopathy [PDR; n=57 (36.