Abstract
Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence and risk diabetics factors of cataracts in type 2 diabetics. The association between advanced diabetic retinopathy, vision loss and cataracts was also investigated among patients with diabetic retinopathy. Methods: This was a community-based and analytic cross-sectional survey among 300 patients (males: 113, mean age: 58 ± 12 years). Results: One hundred forty patients (46.7%) had cataracts versus 95 patients (32%) with diabetic retinopathy (82 non proliferative and 13 proliferative). Male sex, maculopathy, smoking, total and abdominal obesity, aging, uncontrolled diabetes, longer duration and high socioeconomic status were the univariate risk factors of cataracts. Only total obesity was the strong, significant and independent determinant of cataracts. There was a significant association between cataracts and blindness in the total study population. Among patients with diabetic retinopathy, those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy were older and presented higher frequency of metabolic syndrome, blindness, visual impairment and cataracts than their counterparts with non proliferative diabetic retinopathy. In patients with diabetic retinopathy, only aging, total obesity, cataract, and smoking were individually and significantly associated with visual impairment. Conclusion: The prevalence of cataracts among these African type 2 diabetics was 46.7%. Total obesity was a strong independent determinant of the presence of cataracts. The removal of total obesity will contribute to prevent the risk of blindness due to cataracts among African type 2 diabetics.
Highlights
Clinicians from developed and developing countries are facing a global epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM), mainly type 2 diabetes (T2DM), driven by escalating rates of obesity and an increasing lifestyle changes such as physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, high fat intake, and excessive alcohol consumption, and low intake of fruits – vegetables
171 to 246 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes, and this number is likely to increase to 360-380 million by 2025-2030 [1,2]
The influence of lifestyle changes and metabolic syndrome on cataracts and proliferative diabetic retinopathy formation was evaluated in these African type 2 diabetics
Summary
Clinicians from developed and developing countries are facing a global epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM), mainly type 2 diabetes (T2DM), driven by escalating rates of obesity and an increasing lifestyle changes such as physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, high fat intake, and excessive alcohol consumption, and low intake of fruits – vegetables. 171 to 246 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes, and this number is likely to increase to 360-380 million by 2025-2030 [1,2]. The burden of T2DM is driven by both macrovascular, microvascular (diabetic retinopathy), and blindness. Cataract has remained the major (3967%) and number one cause of blindness globally, and nationally [3,4,5,6,7]. In West African type 2 diabetics, cataracts are more important cause of vision impairment than is diabetic retinopathy [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
