Objective:
To evaluate the association between epidemiological and ophtalmological findings in diabetic patients.
Methods:
Cross-sectional study. We selected consecutively diabetic patients examined during 2011 which responded to a questionnaire and examination.
Results:
The sample comprised 103 patients, of whom 72 (69.9%) were female, 66 (64%) were Caucasian, average age 59 (+/- 9,21) years, 64% reported minimum wages, 58.2% did not finish elementary school, 75.7% reported family history of diabetes, 45.6% reported regularly perform metabolic control, 54.3% did not receive special nutritional care. On examination, 72.8% had visual acuity of 20/40. There was a significant association between retinal complications and insulin usage (OR=8,3; p=0,003), and between low visual acuity and age (OR=11,8; p=0,003) and insulin (OR=5,48, p=0,021), as well with lower education and income.
Conclusion:
In this low-income and low-education population, glycemic control was poor, and related to the development of diabetic retinopathy and the consequent low vision. These findings emphasize the need to adopt broader strategies to improve control and prevention of diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic retinopathy; Blindness