Age of Onset of Diabetes and Its Comparison with Prevalence and Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy in a Rural Population of India.

Abstract

AIM: To compare the age of onset of diabetes with the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a rural population of India. METHODS: This is a population-based study for which 1,190 people with diabetes were recruited from rural areas of the districts of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, India. The fundi of all patients were photographed using a 45°, four-field stereoscopic digital fundus camera. The diagnosis of DR was based on the Klein classification of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of DR was 11.5% in individuals with known onset of diabetes (aged ≤40 years) compared to 10.0% in those with late onset. The risk facto..