Blindness in insulin-treated diabetic patients with age at onset less than 30 years.
The occurrence of blindness was evaluated in a population-based group of Danish patients with insulin-treated diabetes diagnosed before the age of 30 years (N = 727), identified by means of insulin prescriptions. The study comprised a retrospective cross-sectional investigation, a longitudinal observation during the subsequent approximately 8 years, and a cross-sectional ophthalmological examination of all patients still alive at the end of the 8 year observation period. Prevalence rates of registered blind at base line were 3.4 and 2.6% for men and women, respectively. The overall incidence rate for blindness was found to be approximately 1.0 per 100 person years. At the ophthalmological examination 88% of blind patients were registered by the Danish Society for the Blind. The cause of blindness in the majority of patients was proliferative retinopathy. Blindness was found to be a significant problem in insulin-dependent diabetes, with a 50-80 times higher risk of blindness than the background population.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013997:Time Factors