Abstract
Title
PREVALENCE AND CLASSIFICATION OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN DIABETIC PATIENTS AT THE KING ABDULAZIZ MEDICAL CITY, RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
Author
Almas Al Mutairi*
Email
almas_asz.@yahoo.com
keyword
Diabetic Retinopathy- Diabetes Mellitus- Prevalence.
Abstract
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common metabolic disorder in Saudi Arabia. One of its chronic complications is diabetic retinopathy that has been estimated to affect nearly 100% of DM Type I as well as 50-80% of DM Type II after 20 years of the onset of DM. Early detection of retinopathy may be a critical factor in the management of diabetic retinopathy. We designed this study with the primary objective of obtaining the prevalence and classification of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients attending Al-Yarmuk Family Medicine Center in Iskan area. Furthermore, our secondary objective is to evaluate physician’s practice in the management of diabetic patients particularly, evaluating diabetic retinopathy by prompt referral to ophthalmology clinic.A cross sectional, retrospective study was carried out at Diabetic clinic (Al-Yarmuk Family Medicine Center) at Iskan area, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Data were collected for medical records of all patients attending the diabetic clinic over one year period from February 2004 to February 2005. The data were obtained using a pre-specified format to provide information regarding demographic details of each patient, history of DM, blood pressure, fasting plasma, glucose, HbA1c, body mass index (BMI), and ophthalmology evaluation by fundoscopy according to standard guidelines.
Data from of 151 diabetic patients were obtained. 84 were males and 67 were females. Their mean age was 51.56 ± 9.74 (range 32-80 years). The majority of patients were having Type 2 DM (94.04%) compared to 3.97% who have Type I DM. Out of 151 patients with DM only 74 were referred to ophthalmologist for retinal examination. Among patients who were referred to retinal examination, 71 attended the ophthalmology clinic with 4.1% not attended. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among patients who attended the ophthalmology clinic is 47.3%. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy was less prevalent than non-proliferative retinopathy with a percentage of 25.7% and 74.3% respectively (p<0.004). The mean HbA1c was 10.64% and the mean FBS was 10.8 mmol/l, indicating poor control of their DM, despite 79.6% attending dietchen education classes.The overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy obtained from this study is 00%. More awareness is needed from physician in referring diabetic patients for ophthalmology clinic. We recommended enhancing compliance for diabetic control by diabetic educators. A longitudinal study is needed to show the importance of early referral of diabetic patients in management of diabetic
