ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among type 2 diabetic patients aged over 30 in Shanghai central area.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>1039 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) aged over 30 were investigated by randomized cluster sampling in Shanghai central area and data from 767 of those patients were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Among all of the 1534 digital ocular fundus images from 767 patients, 87.6% of the images from 672 patients were gradable. (2) Among all of the 672 patients with gradable ocular fundus images, the prevalence of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) was 21.6%, while proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) was 1.3%. The rates of mild, moderate and severe NPDR were 8.8%, 11.2% and 1.6% respectively. (3) DR patients were characterized with elder age, higher HbA1c, urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. DM duration and the level of fasting plasma glucose were risk factors for DR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The overall prevalence of DR in type 2 diabetic patients aged over 30 in Shanghai central area was 22.9% and the DR risk factors were found to include duration of diabetes and fasting plasma glucose level.</p>