Changes in Serum Level of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor before and after Intravitreal Injection of AntiVEGF for Diabetic Macular Edema

Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME), a frequent etiology of vision impairment in individuals with diabetes, is linked to increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Anti-VEGF therapy, such as intravitreal ranibizumab (Lucentis), is a standard treatment to reduce retinal edema and improve vision. Aim: The present investigation aims to assess intravitreal ranibizumab impacts on serum VEGF levels in DME. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 50 eyes with DME from patients at the Ophthalmology Clinic, Benha University Hospitals. Blood samples were obtained prior to and one month following the intravitreal injection of ranibizumab. VEGF levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, with statistical significance defined as p<0.05. Results: The median serum VEGF level before injection was 24.77 (range: 11.75–169.59), which significantly decreased to 18.34 (range: 0.076–135.98) post-injection (p<0.001). No significant correlations were found between pre- and post-injection VEGF levels and demographic factors (age, diabetes duration). However, males had higher pre-injection VEGF levels than females (p=0.027). The median percentage change in VEGF levels was greater in males (-33.3%) compared to females (-6.7%), however, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.113).Conclusions: Intravitreal ranibizumab significantly diminishes serum VEGF levels in patients with DME. Although the reduction was more pronounced in males, gender did not significantly influence the overall treatment outcome.