Abstract
Purpose To describe the level of co-morbidity in patients with sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy in the United Kingdom.
Methods Questionnaires were completed by patients undergoing first photocoagulation treatment for diabetic maculopathy or proliferative retinopathy during a 2 month period throughout the UK.
Results Overall 15% of patients described angina, 9% had suffered a myocardial infarction and 6% a stroke. Self-reported renal disease was present in 8.5%. Foot ulceration was described by 10% of patients, and 4% had undergone an amputation. 35.5% of patients were on treatment for hypertension. 17.5% of patients had been hospitalised in the previous 6 months, and 3% of patients had died within 9 months of the laser treatment.
Conclusions There was significant co-morbidity in these patients, which may affect the management of their retinopathy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Amos A, McCarty D, Zimmet P . The rising global burden of diabetes and its complications: estimates and projections to 2010. Diabet Med 1997;14(Suppl5):S16.
McLeod B, Thompson J, Rosenthal A . The prevalence of retinopathy in the insulin-requiring diabetic patients of an English country town. Eye 1988;2:424–30.
Sparrow JM, McLeod BK, Smith TD, Birch MK, Rosenthal AR . The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy and their risk factors in the non-insulin-treated diabetic patients of an English town. Eye 1993;7:158–63.
Foulds WS, McCuish A, Barrie T, et al. Diabetic retinopathy in the west of Scotland: its detection and prevalence, and the cost-effectiveness of a proposed screening programme. Health Bull 1983;41:318–26.
Neil H, Thompson A, Thorogood M, Fowler G, Mann J . Diabetes in the elderly: the Oxford community diabetes study. Diabet Med 1989;6:608–13.
Klein R, Klein BE, Moss SE . Epidemiology of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Care 1992;15:1875–91.
Diabetic Retinopathy Study Research Group. Report 6. Design, methods, and baseline results. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1981;21:149–209.
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 1993;329:977–86.
Stratton IM, Adler AI, Neil HA, et al. Association of glycaemia with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 35). BMJ 2000;321:405–12.
Adler AI, Stratton IM, Neil HA, et al. Association of sytolic blood pressure with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 36). BMJ 2000;321:412–9.
Bailey CC, Sparrow JM, Grey RHB, Cheng H . The National Diabetic Retinopathy Laser Treatment Audit. I. Maculopathy. Eye 1998;12:69–76.
Fuller J, Shipley M, Rose G . Coronary heart disease risk and impaired glucose tolerance: the Whitehall Study. Lancet 1980;I:1373–6.
Morrish N, Stevens L, Fuller J, Keen H, Jarrett R . Incidence of macrovascular disease in diabetes mellitus: the London cohort of the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetics. Diabetologia 1991;34:584–9.
British Diabetes Association Report. Diabetes in the United Kingdom 1996.
Walters DP, Gatling W, Mullee MA, Hill RD . The prevalence of diabetic distal sensory neuropathy in an English community. Diabet Med 1992;9:349–53.
Walters DP, Gatling W, Mullee MA, Hill RD . The distribution and severity of diabetic foot disease: a community study with comparison to a non-diabetic group. Diabet Med 1992;9:354–8.
Moss SE, Klein R, Klein BE . Prevalence of lower limb amputation in the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy. Arch Intern Med 1992;152:610–6.
Nabarro JDN . Diabetes in the United Kingdom: a personal series. Diabet Med 1990;8:59–68.
Dupree EA, Meyer MB . Role of risk factors in complications of diabetes mellitus. Am J Epidemiol 1979;112:100–12.
Ford ES, Malarcher A, Herman W, Aubert R . Smoking and diabetes: findings from the 1989 National Health Interview Survey. Diabetes Care 1994;17:688–92.
Diabetic Retinopathy Study Research Group. Photocoagulation treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Clinical application of diabetic retinopathy study findings. DRS report 8. Ophthalmology 1981;88:583–600.
Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study Research Group. Early photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy. ETDRS report 9. Ophthalmology 1991;98:766–85.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bailey, C., Sparrow, J. Co-morbidity in patients with sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy. Eye 15, 719–722 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2001.236
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2001.236
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Diabetic retinopathy grade as a predictive marker of severity of cardiovascular disease and mortality: DIVERSE Study Group
International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries (2019)
-
Time for new guidelines in advanced diabetes care: Paradigm change from delayed interventional approach to predictive, preventive & personalized medicine
EPMA Journal (2010)