Diabetic retinopathy in African Americans with type 1 diabetes: The New Jersey 725: II. Risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether diabetic retinopathy in African Americans with type 1 diabetes is associated with the following 6 putative risk factors: duration of diabetes, glycemic control, systemic hypertension, renal disease, socioeconomic status, and male sex.


METHODS
Patients in The New Jersey 725 study underwent detailed ocular evaluation, a structured clinical interview, blood pressure measurements, and assays of blood and urine samples.


RESULTS
Glycemic control was poor; 89.8% of the patients had glycosylated hemoglobin values of more than 0.08. Renal disease and systemic hypertension were present in 49.8% and 34.3% of patients, respectively. Frequency and severity of retinopathy were significantly associated with longer duration of diabetes (P<.001). After adjusting for duration of diabetes and other confounding variables, on average, patients with total glycosylated hemoglobin values in the highest quartile were 3 times more likely to have any retinopathy than those in the lowest quartile; patients with renal disease, 3 times more likely to have any retinopathy and 10 times more likely to have proliferative retinopathy than patients without renal disease; and patients in the highest quartile of systolic sitting blood pressure, 3 times more likely to have proliferative retinopathy than patients in the lowest quartile.


CONCLUSIONS
Risk factors for diabetic retinopathy in African Americans with type 1 diabetes include presence of renal disease, poor glycemic control, high systolic blood pressure, and long duration of diabetes.
Roy
M S
MS
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013997:Time Factors; D001741:Black or African American
D001786:Blood Glucose