Diabetic retinopathy in Greece: prevalence and risk factors studied in the medical retina clinic of a Greek tertiary hospital.

Maria Syriga,Michael Karampelas,Ioanna Dagalaki,Christos Pitsas,Zina Ioannou

doi:10.1007/s10792-021-02162-9

Maria Syriga, Michael Karampelas + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-02162-9

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Abstract

To determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) in a cohort of Greek diabetic patients and identify possible risk factors. This is a non-interventional, cross-sectional study of 300 diabetic Greek patients attending the Ophthalmology Department of a tertiary hospital. Clinical and imaging data were recorded and statistical analysis was performed. Confidence intervals (CI) at 95% and statistically significant p values ≤ 0.05 were set. A total of 300 diabetic patients were included. Of these patients, 21 (7%) were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) type I and 279 (93%) with DM type II. The average duration of diabetes was 15 ± 9.4years (95% CI 13.9-16.1) and the mean level of HbA1c was 7.2 ± 1.3 (95% CI 7.1-7.4) overall.Prevalence of DR was 38.7% (116 patients), only 15 patients (5%) had proliferative DR and DME was detected in 19 patients (6.3%). In DM type I patients, 52.4% had DR and 9.5% had DME, while in the DM type II group, 37.6% had DR and 6.1% had DME. Binary logistic regression analysis identified duration of diabetes, increased HbA1c and hypertriglyceridemia as potential risk factors. This study is the first one to present the extent and severity of DR and DME in a Greek cohort of diabetic patients and also identify risk factors associated with these entities. Our findings highlight the significance of a properly organized national screening program for the early detection and management of the vision-threatening complications of DR.

Highlights

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has arisen as a major life- and vision-threatening condition, tightly associated with modern lifestyle and continuously growing industrialization
This study is the first one to present the extent and severity of Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) in a Greek cohort of diabetic patients and identify risk factors associated with these entities
The average duration of diabetes was 15 ± 9.4 years and the mean level of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was 7.2 ± 1.3

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has arisen as a major life- and vision-threatening condition, tightly associated with modern lifestyle and continuously growing industrialization. The number of people affected is increasing and is expected to reach up to 640 million by the year 2040 [1]. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is diagnosed in 1 in 3 diabetic patients and can potentially lead to severe vision impairment or loss. Despite the extensive preventive measures taken, it still remains one of the main causes of reversible vision loss in working- age adults, being characterized as a global epidemic [2]. One of the earliest attempts for the staging of DR was the establishment of the Airlie Classification system, whose modifications were applied in the Early Treatment Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) [3]. In an attempt to simplify the staging process and achieve the adequate communication and understanding among medical retina practitioners, new models were developed over the years. The International Clinical Disease Severity Scale for DR was introduced and recently modified according to ETDRS rules and clinical findings [4, 5]

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