Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aims: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can remain undiagnosed for many years, during which micro-and macro-vascular complications may develop. This study aimed to assess the worldwide prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. Materials and Methods:We systematically searched electronic databases for relevant studies published from inception to 01 January 2022. Selected studies reported the prevalence of DR among patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, specifying the case definition used. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to derive the pooled prevalence. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were used to investigate variations in the prevalence estimates in terms of available variables.Results: Data from 77 studies including 99,847 patients with newly diagnosed T2DM were included from 26 countries. The pooled prevalence of DR among patients with newly diagnosed T2DM was 13.1% (95% CI, 11.1%-15.1%; I 2 = 97.0%).DR was higher in clinic-based samples compared with community-based samples (15.0%, 95% CI = 12.4%-17.8% vs. 11.5%, 95% CI = 8.9%-14.5%; p = 0.05; I 2 = 97.0%) and was higher in countries in the WHO African 19.2% (95% CI, 14.6%-24.3%; I 2 = 76.0%), South-East Asia 15.4% (95% CI, 10.0%-21.6%; I 2 = 79.1%), and European 15.0% (95% CI, 11.2%-19.2%; I 2 = 82.0%) regions. A higher proportion of female patients was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of DR in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. We observed that the prevalence of DR in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM has remained unchanged over time.Conclusions: Globally, DR is a prevalent complication among patients with newly diagnosed T2DM indicating the importance of establishing effective strategies to promote regular screening for the early diagnosis of T2DM alongside routine ophthalmic assessment at the time of T2DM diagnosis to reduce the burden of vision-threatening retinopathy.

Association between AST/ALT ratio and diabetic retinopathy risk in type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional investigation

“…Its prevalence is projected to increase dramatically, marking an escalating public health concern ( 2 , 3 ). A prevalent microvascular complication of T2DM, diabetic retinopathy (DR), stands as a leading cause of blindness globally ( 4 , 5 ). In China, the prevalence of DR among diabetic individuals exhibits considerable variation, with estimates ranging from 18.45% to 31.8%.…”

Inverse association of serum albumin levels with diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study

“…As the prevalence of diabetes increases and the lifespan of patients extends, diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its associated visual impairments are also rapidly increasing worldwide 2 – 4 . DR is the most common microvascular complication of T2DM and is recognized as a leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the working-age population globally 3 , 5 . Although numerous studies have focused on the pathogenesis and influencing factors of DR, including epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, as well as miRNAs and long non-coding RNA (lnc-RNA) regulation 6 – 8 , the exploration of the relationship between serum albumin (ALB) and DR remains inadequate.…”

Fractalkine isoforms differentially regulate microglia-mediated inflammation and enhance visual function in the diabetic retina

“…Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a common and severe complication of diabetes, leads to vision impairment and ocular morbidity in roughly 200 million patients globally [ 1 ]. Our group and others have shown that metabolic disease, partly due to the release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which induces low-grade systemic inflammation, influenced the severity of diabetes, [ 2 – 5 ] and exacerbated retinal damage in experimental DR [ 4 ].…”