Prevalence of microvascular complications in adolescents and adults with type 1 diabetes: A descriptive study from India

Objective: The aim of this work was to study the prevalence of microvascular complications in type 1 diabetes among the young adolescents and adults of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out at the diabetes care center from August 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 by setting the inclusion criteria of patients with type 1 diabetes who had a history of at least 5 years or more and all adolescents and young adults who visited the clinic and who were willingly prepared to undergo for fundoscopy. Patients recently detected with type 1 diabetes and patients with previous retinal examination report and other forms of diabetes were excluded from the study. A total of 530 patients visited the clinic during this screening period, of which 125 patients took part in the screening. Microvascular complications screening consisted of fundoscopy and urine examination for microalbuminuria. Results: Of 125, 10 patients (8%) had diabetic retinopathy and 27 patients (21.6%) showed the presence of albumin in urine. The overall prevalence of microvascular complications was 29.6%. There were five patients with a positive history of both microvascular complications. The mean duration of diabetes was 19.6 years and the mean average glucose levels were 8.5% and 8.8%, respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that despite the higher glycemic values the chances of development of complications are negligible during the initial course of type 1 diabetes. With an increase in the duration of diabetes, the prevalence of complications is observed more. Hence, in addition to constant high glycemic values, the course of the disease is also a major responsible factor.