According to the article, diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. It affects the blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye. Retinopathy occurs in most people with long-standing DM but its incidence can be reduced with aggressive control of glucose levels and blood pressure, the article states.
John H. Kempen, M.D., Ph.D., of the Wilmer Eye Institute at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, and colleagues in the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, determined the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among adults 40 years and older in the United States.
The researchers pooled data from eight population-based eye surveys. U.S. prevalence rates were estimated by using prevalence rates for DM reported in the 1999 National Health Interview Study, and 2000 U.S. Census population data.
The researchers found that among an estimated 10.2 million U.S. adults 40 years and older with DM, the estimated prevalence rates for retinopathy and vision threatening retinopathy were 40.3 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively. The estimated prevalence rates for retinopathy and vision-threatening retinopathy among the general U.S. population were 3.4 percent (4.1 million people) and 0.75 percent (899,000 people), respectively.
"The results of our pooled analysis indicate that diabetic retinopathy affects approximately two fifths of persons 40 years and older who identify themselves as having DM," the researchers writ
'"/>
Contact: John Lazarou
410-502-8902
JAMA and Archives Journals
12-Apr-2004