Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan;56(1):109-11.
doi: 10.1007/s00125-012-2742-7. Epub 2012 Oct 6.

Diabetic retinopathy at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in the UK: a database analysis

K Kostev  1 , W Rathmann
Affiliations

Diabetic retinopathy at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in the UK: a database analysis

K Kostev et al. Diabetologia. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in general practices in the UK.

Methods: The Disease Analyzer Database (UK) assembles longitudinal data on diagnoses, prescriptions and laboratory values reported from 674 office-based physicians (97 general practices). Patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (between 2005 and 2009) were identified and the presence of retinopathy was defined based on the International Classification of Diseases code (E11.3) or on the original diagnosis text. The time period between first diabetes diagnosis and first retinopathy diagnosis was calculated. Logistic regression was used to examine associations of potential risk factors with prevalent diabetic retinopathy.

Results: There were 12,524 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus in the general practices. The mean age was 65 years with slightly more male patients (56%). The prevalence of diagnosed retinopathy was 19.0% (95% CI 18.3%, 19.7%). The median time to first retinopathy diagnosis was 309 (interquartile range 50-693) days. Factors independently associated with retinopathy in multivariate logistic regression were age (OR 1.02 [95% CI 1.01, 1.03] per year of age), male sex (OR 1.11 [95% CI 1.01, 1.22]), HbA(1c) (OR 1.12 [95% CI 1.02, 1.22] per 1% [11 mmol/mol] increase), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.03 [95% CI 1.01, 1.05] per 10 units) and antihypertensive drugs. No significant relationships were observed for obesity and diastolic blood pressure.

Conclusions/interpretation: Diabetic retinopathy was diagnosed in about one out of five patients with type 2 diabetes during the first year after diabetes diagnosis in UK general practices. Age, male sex, hyperglycaemia and hypertension were identified as risk factors of early retinopathy in type 2 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Br J Ophthalmol. 2011 Sep;95(9):1229-33 - PubMed
    1. Diabetes Care. 2003 Jun;26(6):1731-7 - PubMed
    1. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2005 Jun;59(6):750-5 - PubMed
    1. Diabetologia. 2012 Sep;55(9):2335-42 - PubMed
    1. Eur J Epidemiol. 2012 Jul;27(7):519-24 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources