The Related Risk Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy in Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Hospital-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), caused by small vessel disease, is the main cause of blindness in persons with diabetes. Taiwan is one of the Asian countries with the highest prevalence rate of DR. The purpose was to investigate the related risk factors of DR in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), in Lee’s Endocrinology Clinic. 792 T2DM patients over 60 years old were invited to have an outpatient visit at least every three months, and all of them were asked to undergo a standardized interview and collect their blood samples. Significant factors were being female (adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.287; 95% CI, 1.082–1.531), higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (HR: 1.067; 95% CI: 1.016–1.119), higher mean low density of lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) (HR: 1.004; 95% CI: 1.001–1.006), and chewing betel nut (HR: 1.788; 95% CI: 1.362–2.347). This study showed that gender, the behavior of chewing betel nut, HbA1c, and LDL-c are important factors for the development of DR in elderly patients with T2DM. It is suggested that patients should control their HbA1c and LDL-c and quit chewing betel nut to prevent DR. This suggestion applies especially to female patients.

Relationship between dyslipidemia and diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…By reviewing the full text of the remaining 318 articles, 305 articles were excluded for various reasons. Finally, 13 cohort studies [ 8 , 11 , 13 , 19 – 28 ] including 7459 participants were considered relevant and included in the meta-analysis. The characteristics of the included studies are summarized in Table 1 .…”

FOXO1 reduces STAT3 activation and causes impaired mitochondrial quality control in diabetic cardiomyopathy

“…Diabetes mellitus is a common, chronic metabolic disease that threatens human health. 1 One of the major complications of diabetes is diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), which causes patients to be prone to heart failure in the absence of other risk factors, such as hypertension and coronary artery disease. 2 Numerous molecular mechanisms have been proposed to explain the underlying pathophysiology of DCM, including impaired insulin signalling, excess fatty acid (FA) oxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, abnormal autophagy, and mitochondrial dysfunction.…”

“…Diabetes mellitus is a common, chronic metabolic disease that threatens human health 1 . One of the major complications of diabetes is diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), which causes patients to be prone to heart failure in the absence of other risk factors, such as hypertension and coronary artery disease 2 .…”

Quantitative determination of major alkaloids in areca nut products by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility spectrometry

“…The major consumption areas are in the Asia Pacific region, led by the Chinese mainland, Malaysia, and India [4]. In recent years, many studies have revealed that chewing too much areca nut increases the risk of oral cancer [5,6] and can impact the human cardiovascular, nervous, gastrointestinal, metabolic respiratory, and reproductive systems [7,8]. Therefore, food researchers and medical researchers increasingly focus on areca nuts.…”

“…It also has significant activity on the nervous system, digestive tract, and cardiovascular system. [7,8]. Arecaidine and guvacine can combine with γ-aminobutyric acid and GABA receptors to reflect the physiological effect of denervation, block GABA's nerve inhibition effect, and make those who chew it excitable and pleasant [10].…”