DIABETIC RETINOPATHY; PREDICTIVE VALUE OF ELEVATED HBA1C LEVELS FOR THE PRESENCE OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY.

Chaudhary, Nasir Ahmad; Hameed, Samreen; Ul Moazzam, Muhammad Sultan; Zahoor, Sarmad; Latif, Sidrah; Bashir, Yasir

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes affecting more than 1/4th of the diabetics and is also the leading cause of blindness in many parts of the globe. Regular fundoscopic examination for screening is a routine practice in tertiary care hospitals but is not available in the primary care centers. This necessitates the development of a reliable screening tool which will allow for early referral of those with complications to the specialist centers. Objective: To determine the predictive value of HbA1c levels for the presence of diabetic retinopathy. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Diabetic Clinic of Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Period: 04 months, January to April 2017. Method: 75 diabetic patients who presented in Diabetic clinic were investigated for HbA1c levels and fundoscopic evaluation was done to detect retinal changes. Results: Out of 75 patients, 35 (46.7%) were female, 40 (53.3%) were male. Median age of the patients was 51 years. All patients had HbA1c levels more than 6.0% and 62% patients had detectable changes on fundi while the rest had no detectable retinal disease despite elevated HbA1c levels. Positive predictive value (PPV) of elevated HbA1c levels for the presence of diabetic retinal changes was calculated to be 62.66%. Conclusion: All the patients who had retinal disease on fundoscopy had HbA1c levels of more than 6.0% (PPV = 62.66) which means that elevated HbA1c levels warrant a fundoscopic retinal examination to rule out diabetic retinopathy.

DIABETIC retinopathy; OPHTHALMOSCOPY

Professional Medical Journal, 2018, Vol 25, Issue 8, p1256

1024-8919

Academic Journal

10.29309/tpmj/2018.25.08.64