Abstract
Purpose: :
The prevalence of known diabetes in the UK has doubled in less than 20 years. The prevalence of ALL diabetes using a capture-recapture system is estimated to be 2.04% of the population; the prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in women is 0.28% and the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in women 1.67% of the population. Data from the Ireland and Northern Ireland All-Ireland Population Observatory estimate that 5.4 % of adults (aged 20 years and over) in Northern Ireland have diabetes (type 1 and type 2 combined) which is considerably higher than that reported for Wales1. Regional variation is however common. Our study on an Elderly-light protected population- the INES Study has revealed a population who in general appear to have a healthier life-style that the general population. We postulate that the prevalence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy will be less that in the age-adjusted general population.
Methods: :
The presence or absence of diabetes was determined using a medical questionnaire in 500 voluntary participants in the INES. Data collection included type of diabetes, age of onset and treatment regimes. Data on additional risk factors such as, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, smoking, hypercholesterolemia and BMI were also collected. Dietary information was collected using a food frequency questionnaire. Retinal images were captured on a Nidek AFC-210 fundus camera and were graded by in a coded manner by a retinal specialist (GS) for the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Results: :
The prevalence of diabetes in the INES population was 4%. The average age was 75.7 years. All were Type 2 diabetics with the average age of onset of diabetes being at 68.9 years. Seventy-five percent had hypertension, 40% were on statin therapy, 10% had cardiovascular disease, 5% had cerebrovascular disease and all were never smokers. The average BMI was 26.5. Thirty percent had early background diabetic retinopathy. No advanced retinopathy was present.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence