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Selected Abstracts: Epidemiology
Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy in the Japanese-Brazilian Population
Hirai FE, Hirai A, Hirai AT, et al.
Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP
The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of both type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy among Japanese-Brazilians. A total of 1,751 first-and second-generation Japanese-Brazilians over the age of 30 participated. Diabetes was assessed via fasting glucose and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), and diabetic retinopathy was assessed with a complete ophthalmologic exam. Patients with retinopathy underwent fluorescein angiography and fundus photography so that the degree of their disease could be classified according to ETDRS criteria. Of the 1,330 participants who were examined, 482 had type 2 diabetes (36.2%) and an additional 19.3% had impaired fasting glucose. The prevalence of retinopathy was found to be 8.4% in this group, and the prevalence was higher among women. Overall, a high prevalence of both type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy suggests the need for screening for both diabetes and retinopathy so that treatment may be initiated in a timely fashion.
Impact of Diabetic Retinopathy in Blindness Prevention Campaign
Galina HS, de Barros RA, Corpa JHN, et al.
ABC School of Medicine, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Because diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of avoidable blindness, screening campaigns are of great import to public health. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a single day of diabetic retinopathy screening in the municipality of Sao Bernardo do Campo in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
This campaign targeted all adults over the age of 20 who had changes in capillary glycemia or who had known diabetes. A total of 1464 people underwent an ophthalmologic exam. Of patients evaluated, nearly 15% were suspected to have or had known diabetes. Upon examination, approximately 25% of patients showed some evidence of retinopathy, only 15% of whom were aware that they had retinopathy. The majority of patients who learned that they had retinopathy from the screening were between the ages of 41 and 60. Furthermore, 6.6% of patients screened did not know they had diabetes and had already developed some degree of diabetic retinopathy. Overall, this screening resulted in a 22.3% incidence of retinopathy and a 24.6% prevalence. These results demonstrate the importance of campaigns like this one to prevention of blindness efforts.
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