Abstract
Purpose: :
To quantify the risk factors of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) in patients of African descent with type 2 diabetes in South East London (SEL-DRS study).
Methods: :
The analysis cohort was made up of a sample of 433 subjects with Type 2 diabetes. The risk factors were compared between 174 with severe non-proliferative and proliferative DR and 259 with no retinopathy. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages were defined by the UK National Kidney Federation.
Results: :
The risk factors that were more significantly associated with severe DR were longer duration of diabetes (19.3 years versus 8.2 years) (p= 0.000), higher mean HbA1c (p=0.000), systolic BP (p=0.03), diastolic BP (p= 0.000) and lower eGFR (p=0.000). When patients with no retinopathy for more than 10 years were compared to those with severe retinopathy, the risk factors that remained significant was systolic BP (p=0.02) and eGFR (p=0.000). All stages of CKD were more significant in patients with severe DR than those with no retinopathy.
Conclusions: :
High systolic BP and lower eGFR are significant risk factors for severe DR in patients of African descent.
Keywords: diabetes • diabetic retinopathy