Relationship between Serum Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Level and Microvascular Complications in Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis

Objective. The purpose of the meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) level and microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus (DM) including diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic neuropathy (DN), and diabetic nephropathy. Methods. Studies were comprehensively identified by searching Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed databases up to August 30, 2018. The meta-analysis was carried out to compare the difference of serum ADMA concentrations of DR, DN, and diabetic nephropathy patients with healthy controls. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were applied to assess the methodological quality. Chi-squared Q test and I2 statistics were applied to evaluate statistical heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were conducted and publication bias was assessed by Egger’s test. Result. Ten studies were finally entered in the meta-analysis. Statistically significant heterogeneity was observed across these studies ( I 2 = 77.0%, p < 0.001). Compared with DM without microvascular complications, circulating level of ADMA was significantly higher in DM with microvascular complications (all p < 0.05). Sensitivity analysis suggested that the results of this meta-analysis were shown to be stable. There was no significant publication bias (P=0.823). Conclusion. Elevated ADMA levels correlate with diabetic microangiopathies such as DR and diabetic nephropathy. ADMA may play an important role in the pathobiology of microvascular complications of diabetes.