Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Brazil: a systematic review with meta-analysis

AIMS

To evaluate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Brazilian adults with diabetes mellitus via a systematic review with meta-analysis.

METHODS

A systematic review using PubMed, EMBASE, and Lilacs was conducted, searching for studies published up to February 2022. Random effect meta-analysis was performed to estimate the DR prevalence.

RESULTS

We included 72 studies (n = 29,527 individuals). Among individuals with diabetes in Brazil, DR prevalence was 36.28% (95% CI 32.66-39.97, I2 98%). Diabetic retinopathy prevalence was highest in patients with longer duration of diabetes and in patients from Southern Brazil.

CONCLUSION

This review shows a similar prevalence of DR as compared to other low- and middle-income countries. However, the high heterogeneity observed-expected in systematic reviews of prevalence-raises concerns about the interpretation of these results, suggesting the need for multicenter studies with representative samples and standardized methodology.

Risk factors and complications in type 2 diabetes outpatients

OBJECTIVE

Our study investigated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) outpatients attending a university hospital in Montes Claros, MG, to estimate the prevalence of risk factors and their association with diabetes complications.

METHOD

This was a quantitative, documental, retrospective and analytical study. Medical records of 95 outpatients with T2DM treated in this hospital from 2011 to 2015 were analyzed. Data were collected according to a structured questionnaire surveying sociodemographic, anthropometric and biochemical data and clinical and lifestyle aspects. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between risk factor variables and complications.

RESULTS

With a mean age of 54 years, the study population showed irregular blood glucose control, despite the use of hypoglycemic medication, and did not have a healthy lifestyle. The main complication reported was high blood pressure (HBP), occurring in 70.9% of patients. The prevalence of complications was positively associated with patients receiving insulin treatment (p=0.042) and multidisciplinary monitoring (p=0.050).

CONCLUSION

The associations identified reflect the condition of patients that were already treating diabetes and its complications, especially HBP. The characteristics of the study population indicate the need to improve clinical follow-up and increase motivation for healthy behaviors.