Retinopathy in diabetic patients aged 15-50 years in the county of Umeå, Sweden.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its relation to certain risk factors (glycosylated hemoglobin, blood pressure, serum creatinine, proteinuria, smoking) in a population-based study on a specific age-group of patients with diabetes mellitus in the county of Umeå, Sweden.


METHODS
All diabetic patients aged 15-50 years living in the county of Umeå were invited to the study. A standard clinical and eye examination was performed, and seven-field stereoscopic photographs were taken of each eye. Blood and urine samples were collected. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed.


RESULTS
Of the eligible 395 patients 285 (91%) participated in the study. 285 patients (79%) had diabetes mellitus type 1, 71 (20%) subjects had diabetes mellitus type 2, and 3 patients (1%) had secondary diabetes. In the statistical analysis performed on patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, duration, presence of hypertension, systolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, serum creatinine, proteinuria and smoking all were significantly related to increasing degree of retinopathy when a univariate model was applied. However, when a multivariate analysis was performed only duration, proteinuria, glycosylated hemoglobin and male gender were statistically significantly associated with severeness of retinopathy.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased duration of diabetes, inadequate metabolic control as measured by glycosylated hemoglobin, proteinuria and male gender are factors that are associated with a higher incidence of diabetic retinopathy in diabetes mellitus type 1.
Larsson
L I
LI
Department of Ophthalmology, Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden.
Alm
A
A
Bergenheim
T
T
Lithner
F
F
Bergström
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D003404:Creatinine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin