J Korean Med Sci.  2011 Aug;26(8):1068-1073. 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.8.1068.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy in Rural Korea: The Chungju Metabolic Disease Cohort Study

• Kim JH
• Kwon HS
• Park YM
• Lee JH
• Kim MS
• Yoon KH
• Lee WC
• Cha BY
• Son HY

• KMID: 1777846
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.8.1068

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its associated factors in rural Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. A population-based, cross-sectional diabetic retinopathy survey was conducted from 2005 to 2006 in 1,298 eligible participants aged over 40 yr with type 2 diabetes identified in a rural area of Chungju, Korea. Diabetic retinopathy was diagnosed by a practicing ophthalmologist using funduscopy. The overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the population was 18% and proliferative or severe non-proliferative form was found in 5.0% of the study subjects. The prevalence of retinopathy was 6.2% among those with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 2.4% of them had a proliferative or severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The odds ratio of diabetic retinopathy increased with the duration of diabetes mellitus (5-10 yr: 5.2- fold; > 10 yr: 10-fold), postprandial glucose levels (> 180 mg/dL: 2.5-fold), and HbA1c levels (every 1% elevation: 1.34-fold). The overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in rural Korean patients was similar to or less than that of other Asian group studies. However, the number of patients with proliferative or severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy was still high and identified more frequently at the time of diagnosis. This emphasizes that regular screening for diabetic retinopathy and more aggressive management of glycemia can reduce the number of people who develop diabetic retinopathy.

Keyword

Diabetic Retinopathy; Prevalence; Risk Factors

MeSH Terms

Aged
Blood Glucose/analysis
Cohort Studies
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications
Diabetic Retinopathy/complications/*epidemiology/ethnology
Female
Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated/analysis
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Odds Ratio
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Factors
Rural Population

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