Prevalence of retinopathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and its association with microalbuminuria and HbA1c: A cross sectional study from Rajasthan

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem with multiple medical complications. Microvascular complications of diabetes including diabetic retinopathy, depend on the duration and severity of hyperglycemia. There is a paucity of data about the relationship among diabetic retinopathy, microalbuminuria and HbA1c in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The study was conducted on the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its association with microalbuminuria and HbA1c among newly diagnosed T2DM patients. Material and method: It was a hospital-based, cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Rajasthan. After obtaining written informed consent, data were collected from 150 newly diagnosed T2DM patients. Data were analysed using SPSS 20.0. Categorical variables were presented as proportion and continuous variables were presented as mean (SD). Chi square test and one way ANOVA tests were used for bivariate analysis. Results: The mean (SD) age of patients was 50.43 (12.73) years. About 52.7% (n=79) patients were male. About 30% (n=45) of newly diagnosed T2DM patients had microalbuminuria. Thirty patients (20%) had diabetic retinopathy (DR). About 8% (n=12) participants had mild DR, 10.7% (n=16) had moderate to severe DR and 1.3 (n=2) % had proliferative DR. Microalbuminuria was found significantly associated with HbA1c (P<0.01). Diabetic retinopathy and its severity were also found significantly associated with HbA1c (P<0.01). Conclusion: In newly diagnosed T2DM patients, HbA1c and microalbuminuria are associated with the presence of retinopathy. If follow up studies support these results, periodic ophthalmologic monitoring may be beneficial for those newly diagnosed with T2DM.