A hospital-based cohort study on risk factors for diabetic retinopathy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

IntroductionDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is caused by microvascular complications due to high blood sugar in patients with diabetes mellitus and results in severe sight impairment. ObjectiveTo identify the prevalence of DR and its associated risk factors among patients of working age with type 2 DM (T2DM) at Khulna Chokkhu Hospital, Khulna, Bangladesh. Materials and methodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 320 patients with T2DM using a random sampling technique. Semi-structured questionnaires, document reviews, and physical examinations were used to collect the data. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to identify associations between the severity of DR and socio-demographic and physiological risk factors. ResultsAmong the 320 participants in this study, all of whom were suffering from T2DM, the mean age was 50.05 ± 8.6 years and DR was detected in 94 patients (29.4%). The risk factors identified for DR were age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.184), body mass index (OR = 2.067), systolic blood pressure (OR = 1.112), diastolic blood pressure (OR = 1.224), fasting blood glucose (OR = 2.694), 2 h after breakfast sugar test (OR = 2.396), hemoglobin A1c (OR = 18.759), total cholesterol (OR = 9.213), triglycerides (OR = 7.749), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 5.485), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 16.728), serum creatinine (OR = 1.929), and duration of DM (OR = 1.170), as these risk factors were found to be significantly associated with DR (p < 0.05). Conclusion and recommendationThe identification of risk factors associated with DR in patients with T2DM is clinically significant, as it reveals that self-management of DM can reduce the complications of DR.