PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AMONG RECENTLY DIAGNOSED TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS AT SPHMMC ADDIS ABABA , ETHIOPIA ,2019

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is becoming the new burden both globally, to our continent and our nation. DM causes high levels of glucose (a form of sugar) in the bloodstream, over time these damages blood vessels, with devastating effects in many different parts of the body, leading to heart attacks, stroke, foot amputations, kidney failure and vision loss due to retinopathy. In Ethiopia the prevalence diabetes mellitus in a recent systematic review reported in 2019 ranged 2.0%-6.5 and most noted associated complication were retinopathy(2.7%-25%),neuropathy(4.8% 35%),depression(13.0%-61.0%),kidneydisease(18.2%-23.8%),hypertension(23.0% 54.8%),anemia(19%). Even though a few studies were done in Ethiopia, this study is different in study area, population coverage and in assessing diabetic retinopathy (DR) prevalence in a recently diagnosed type 2 DM. This study will generate new information which will give us DR burden in recently diagnosed type 2 DM patients so that screening program, and intervention to halt blindness due to diabetic retinopathy will be given attention Objective: to assess the prevalence of DR in recently diagnosed type 2 DM patients in St. Paul’ s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) General Medical Out Patient Department (GMOPD) Methods: Hospital-based descriptive cross sectional design was used. The data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Result: A total of 143 eyes of 72 patients were evaluated those patient coming to the GMOPD from January 2019-October 2019. The median age of participants was 50yrs and mean time of diagnosis was 8 month. The prevalence of DR in this patients was 15.3% [95%CI: 6.9, 23.6] from those who had DR 5.6% had a vision threatening diabetic retinopathy. Clinical significant association was seen in those patient diagnosed more than 6month (p=0.049) uncontrolled blood pressure (p=0.015). Conclusion: the study showed there is a significant number of patient who were diagnosed recently with type 2 DM that developed DR and out of this one third had a vision threatening DR .Therefore according to this study early screening immediately after diagnosis and strict blood pressure control is mandatory to alleviate this problem.