The Epidemiology and Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the Veneto Region of North East Italy

The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its relationship to a number of risk factors were examined in a population‐based study in the Veneto region of North East Italy. Of 1321 diabetic patients selected, 98% attended for examination. Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 26.2% (24.4% background and 1.8% proliferative). The prevalence of retinopathy was significantly related (p < 0.01) to the duration of diabetes (17.3% for < 5 years; 60.8% for > 20 years). Proliferative retinopathy was much more prevalent after 20 years of diabetes. After 10 years most proliferative retinopathy was found in Type 1 diabetic patients, but before 10 years from diagnosis it was most prevalent in Type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of retinopathy was significantly related (p < 0.001) to the type of diabetes and was found predominantly in Type 1 (46.2%) and insulin‐treated Type 2 (45.9%) subjects and to a lesser degree in non‐insulin‐treated patients (24.6%). The prevalence of retinopathy was significantly related to both fasting and post‐prandial blood glucose levels (p < 0.001), blood urea nitrogen (p < 0.05), and systolic (p < 0.001) and diastolic (p < 0.01) blood pressure. No significant differences were found in the prevalence of total or proliferative retinopathy between males and females. No significant relationships were found with family history of diabetes, alcohol intake, smoking habits, cholesterol, triglycerides, and serum uric acid.