Endocrine Abstracts

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most frequent and serious complications of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Nevertheless, in Uzbekistan there is no precise statistical data on the prevalence of DR in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: To study the incidence of DR in newly diagnosed people with type 2 diabetes in Uzbekistan.

Materials and methods: Within the framework of the grant ‘Prevention of Diabetes in the Rural Population of Uzbekistan’ from WDF in 6 pilot regions of Uzbekistan, the screening was conducted for early diagnosis of DR among 2998 patients with newly diagnosed diabetes. Average age was 59.39±10.22 years, 62% of women and 38% of men. They studied: the level of glycemia, HbA1c. The ophthalmologist’s examination included: visual acuity determination, biomicroscopy, autorefractometry, direct ophthalmoscopy, photographing of the fundus of the non-miraculous hand-held portable funduscamera.

Results: A comprehensive ophthalmologic examination of patients with newly diagnosed T2DM revealed: DR - in 11.5% (a non-proliferative stage of 8.7%, a pre-proliferative stage of 2.5%, and a proliferative stage of 0.24%). Diabetic cataract (DC) was detected in 27.3%, glaucoma 4.7%, pterygium 39.6% and refractive error 24.8%. Our data do not confirm the data of the national registry for the frequency of occurrence of DR in the same category of patients (average amount 47%), which indicates an incorrect diagnosis of DR by regional doctors. The HbA1c was> 6.5%–23.4%; Within 8–9% −63.9% and >9%–12.7%, indicating a prolonged hyperglycemia and prescription of the disease, which are the main factor in the progression of complications of diabetes such as DR.

Conclusions: 1. Frequency of occurrence of DR in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in Uzbekistan according to the screening data was 11.5% (of which the non-proliferative stage is 8.7%, the pre-proliferative stage is 2.5%, and the proliferative 0.24%), this amount almost in 5 times less in comparison with the national registry data, which indicates an incorrect diagnosis of DR by regional doctors.

2. A comprehensive examination of the ophthalmologist of patients with newly diagnosed diabetes obligatorily should include: determining the visual acuity; Biomicroscopy; Autorefractometry; Direct ophthalmoscopy; Photographing on the funduskammer not only for the early detection of DR, but also for other eye disorders leading to decreased vision in patients with diabetes.