title: Incidence of ophthalmoscopic fundus changes in hypertensive patients.
abstract: A prospective, hospital based, clinical study was conducted in hypertensive patients referred to the eye OPD, KMCTH, Sinamangal during a period of three months to find out the incidence of fundus changes. A total of 302 hypertensive patients were included in the study and their fundus changes were evaluated by direct ophthalmoscopy. The age of the patients ranged from 30-70 years and the duration of hypertension from 1-25 years. The blood pressure was not controlled in 218 patients (72.18%). More female patients (56.22%) were hypertensive than male (43.78%). But the fundus changes were less in female patients. Caste-wise hypertension was more common in Brahmins (38.41%) and fundus changes were also comparatively more. The fundus changes were found in 192 patients (63.57%) and the most common findings were hypertensive retinopathy. GrI + GrII combined together (52.31%). The other common fundus finding was BRVO in 11 patients (3.64%). A routine ophthalmoscopic fundus examination to detect the retinal changes in hypertensive patients is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Kathmandu Medical College, Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Karki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*