Prevalence and risk score to predict diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patient, Singhanakorn Hospital, Songkhra Province, Thailand

Abstract

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes and it is important because it can lead to blindness if left untreated. According to reports, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is 15.57–42.6 and blindness is 2%. The objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and develop a simple and practical scoring system to predict the probability of DR.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between February and March 2018. Diabetic patients in diabetic clinics of Singhanakorn Hospital were registered. Retinal examination of the participants was using the digital fundus camera, evaluated by ophthalmologists. The logistic regression was used as a model to predict DR. The cut-off value for the risk score was determined using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve procedure.
Results: The prevalence of DR was 6.84% (47 of 687). The DR risk score was conducted by younger age, diabetic type I, higher HbA1c, Higher Triglyceride and Lower Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). A value ≥ 4.5 had the optimum sensitivity (83.00%) and specificity (58.60%) for determining DR. Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.761 (95%CI: 0.697-0.824).
Conclusion and discussion: The good performance of our risk model suggests that it may be a useful riskprediction tool for DR. It consisted age, diabetic type, HbA1c, triglyceride and eGFR. Keeping good control of blood sugar, triglyceride and eGFR level can help prevent DR. An annual eye exam can help early detect DR so they can be reducing blindness.