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High HbA1c level was the most important factor associated with prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Taiwanese type II diabetic patients with a fixed duration

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

To identify the prevalence and related risk factors for diabetic retinopathy (DR) in non-insulin dependent diabetes in Taiwan.

Methods

A retrospective review of type II diabetic patients in the Diabetes Shared Care System database of our Hospital enrolled from 2002 to 2009. A retinopathy severity score was assigned according to fundus examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy or binocular biomicroscopy.

Results

Data was collected on 901 subjects, 497 males and 404 females. Of these, 230 (25.53 %) had DR at enrolment. Compared with patients without DR, those with DR were more likely to be female (p = 0.03) or have higher HbA1c (p < 0.001), longer duration of diabetes (p < 0.001), hypertension (p < 0.001), higher systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), higher diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.05), as well as impaired renal function (p = 0.001). In subgroup analysis stratified by diabetes duration, HbA1c was the most consistent independent risk factor associated to the prevalence of DR. Higher systolic blood pressure and female sex were significantly independent risk factors only in patients with a duration of diabetes < 4 years. On the contrary, old onset age showed a protective effect against DR only in those with a disease duration > 8 years.

Conclusions

High HbA1c level was the most important factor associated with prevalence of DR in Taiwanese type II DM patients with a fixed duration.

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Acknowledgments

Supported in part by grant NSC97-2314-B-075B-011 from the National Science Council and grant VGHKS100-065 from the Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. We thank the statistical assistance from Huey-Shyan Lin PhD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, 386, Ta-Chung 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 813, Taiwan

    Shwu-Jiuan Sheu, Ni-Chun Liu, Wan-Ling Ho, Jiun-Yo Lin, Shih-Chou Chen & Yu-Harn Horng

  2. School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Shwu-Jiuan Sheu

  3. Department of Research and Education, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Lu-Ping Ger

  4. Graduate School of Dental Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Wan-Ling Ho

  5. Department of Endocrinology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Hing-Chung Lam

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  1. Shwu-Jiuan Sheu
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Correspondence to Shwu-Jiuan Sheu.

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Sheu, SJ., Liu, NC., Ger, LP. et al. High HbA1c level was the most important factor associated with prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Taiwanese type II diabetic patients with a fixed duration. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 251, 2087–2092 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-013-2310-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-013-2310-y

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