Relationship between diabetic retinopathy severity and the timespan between the endocrinopathy diagnosis and the first ophthalmic examination.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether the time interval between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) diagnosis and the first fundoscopic examination is related with the presence and the severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) observed.


METHODS
A survey of 105 type 2 DM patients referred to ophthalmologic evaluation in the "Hospital das Clinicas" (HC), University of São Paulo Medical School (USPMS).


RESULTS
Regarding classification of DR in the 105 patients, 15 (14.28%) did not show signs of DR, and 90 (85.72%) exhibited them on fundoscopy. Sixty patients underwent laser therapy, and 46.66% reported poor control of DM. Only 15.23% of DM patients were adequately screened for DR on the first year of their DM diagnosis. Among the 36 patients (34.30%) examined within five years of DM diagnosis, 58.33% did not present or demonstrate signs of mild DR and 22.20% of proliferative DR; 30 patients underwent an ophthalmologic examination after more than eleven years of DM diagnosis, 21.62% did not exhibit signs of DR and 59.46% were classified as proliferative DR.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed a statistically significant relationship between the time interval from the diagnosis of type 2 DM and the first fundoscopic examination with the severity of DR.
Preti
Rony Carlos
RC
University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. rypreti@hotmail.com
Motta
Augusto Alves Lopes
AA
Maia
Otacílio de O
OO
Morita
Celso
C
Nascimento
Vinícius Paganini
VP
Monteiro
Mário Luiz Ribeiro
ML
Takahashi
Walter Yukihiko
WY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors