Incidence of ocular complications of diabetes mellitus in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

We studied 150 patients, 122 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] and 28 with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM], to determine the incidence of retinal and non-retinal ocular manifestations of diabetes mellitus in population visiting the Department of Ophthalmology, Lady Reading Hospital, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Peshawar. Corneal sensitivity was reduced in 62.3% of the NIDDM patients and in 35.7% of IDDM patients. Mature cataract of aphakia was present in 25.4% of the NIDDM and 14.2% of the IDDM patients. We found true diabetic cataract in only one patients, an 11-year old girl with IDDM in diabetic coma. Chronic open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension was present in 9% of the NIDDM patients but in none of the IDDM patients. Background diabetic retinopathy [BDR] occurred in 15% of the NIDDM and 11% of the IDDM patients with a diabetes duration of less than 5 years. With a duration of 5-10 years, this figure rose to 18% in the NIDDM group and to 28.5% in the IDDM group. The frequency increased to 66.6% in the NIDDM group and to 33.3% in IDDM group beyond 10 years of disease duration. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy [PDR] or preproliferative diabetic retinopathy [PPDR] was present in 5% of the NIDDM patients and in none of the IDDM patients with disease duration of less than 5 years. In the group with disease duration of 5-10 years, PDR or PPDR was present in 26% of the NIDDM patients, 14.2% of the IDDM patients. When duration of diabetes went beyond 10 years, this figure rose to 33.3% in both NIDDM and IDDM groups. Diabetic maculopathy was present in 11.6% of the patients with NIDDM and in no patient with IDDM with diabetes duration of less than 5 years. This figure increased to 20% in the NIDDM group and to 28% in IDDM group with a duration of 5-10 years. In patients with diabetes of more than 10-years duration, maculopathy was present in 25% of the patients in the NIDDM group and none in the IDDM group. [Pakistan Journal of Ophthalmology 8 7-11, January, 1992]