Prevalence of retinopathy higher in black patients with diabetes than white patients with diabetes

MADISON, Wis. — The prevalence of retinopathy was found to be higher in black patients with diabetes than in white patients with diabetes, according to data from the Cardiovascular Health Study. The presence of cardiovascular disease, elevated plasma LDL cholesterol and gross proteinuria was also associated with diabetic retinopathy in the study.

Using the American Diabetes Association criteria, researchers here identified 296 people with diabetes from four U.S. communities. Retinopathy was present in 20%, with the lowest prevalence in those older than 80. Signs of proliferative retinopathy were present in 2.7%, and signs of macular edema were present in 2.1%.

Black patients had a higher prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (35.4%) than white patients (16%). Retinopathy was more frequent in those with longer duration of diabetes and in those with subclinical cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or stroke than in those without those diseases. Higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and gross proteinuria were also associated with higher rates of retinopathy.

The authors caution against drawing conclusions regarding these associations because only about half of the patients with diabetes in the overall Cardiovascular Health Study were evaluated.

The study is published in British Journal of Ophthalmology.