Resumen

LICEA PUIG, Manuel E.; CRUZ HERNANDEZ, Jeddú; DOMINGUEZ ALONSO, Enma  y  MACIQUEZ RODRIGUEZ, Elvira. Frequency of diabetic retinopathy and its relation to some clinical and biochemical variables associated with type 1 diabetes. Rev Cubana Endocrinol [online]. 2006, vol.17, n.3, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-2953.

The appearance of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is associated with the presence of several risk factors that determine its emergence and the increase of its severity. The objective of this paper is to know the frequency and severity of DR and its connection with some clinical and biochemical variables in a group of persons with type1 diabetes mellitus. A retrospective and descriptive study was conducted in 240 type 1 diabetics seen at the Diabetes Care Center of the National Institute of Endocrinology. The studied variables were age, sex, duration of type 1 diabetes mellitus, systolic (SAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), body mass index (BMI), smoking habit, fasting and 2-hour postprandial glycaemia, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1), albumin excretion in 24-h urine, and presence and type of DR: non-proliferative (NPDR) and proliferative (DR). 40.4 % of the diabetics had some type of DR (NPDR, 35.4 % and PDR, 5.0 %). The frequency of DR increased with the chronological age . Of the 39 subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus ³ 20 years of evolution, 34 had some type of DR. Arterial hypertension appeared in 30.6 and 50.0 % of the individuals with NPDR and PDR, respectively. Fasting glycemia was significantly higher (p< 0,0002) among the subjects with PDR (12.30 ± 4.45 mmol/L) than in those without DR (7.09 ± 2.75 mmol/L). Something similar occurred with postprandial glycaemia: 12.48 ± 3.52 mmol/L in individuals with PDR and 7.51 ± 3.1 mmol/L in those with no DR (p < 0,0007); whereas the HbA1's values were 8.72 ± 1.86 % in the affected with PDR and 6.89 ± 1.63 in the non-affected (p < 0.004). 70.7 % of the normoalbuminuric patients presented some type of DR. It was concluded that DR is usual in persons with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Older age, the prolonged time of evolution of type 1 diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, the increase of UAE, and the poor metabolic control were factors associated with the presence and greater severity of DR. Key words: diabetic retinopathy, microalbuminuria, type 1 diabetes mellitus, metabolic control, incipient diabetic nephropathy.

Palabras llave : Retinopatía diabética; microalbuminuria; diabetes mellitus tipo 1; control metabólico; nefropatía diabética incipiente.