Purpose: To assess the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a young population with type I diabetes in Lebanon, to compare it to its prevalence worldwide according to the literature, and to analyze its potential risk factors.
Methods: Screening for DR by fundus examination was performed in patients > 10 years and diabetic for over 8 years attending the Chronic Care Center (CCC) in Lebanon. Data regarding patients' age, duration of their diabetes, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, smoking habits, dyslipidemia, microalbuminuria, mean HbA1c over the past five years, number of insulin injections, parents' educational level and geographical origin, were collected.
Results: 220 teenagers and young adults (103 males and 117 females) aged between 12 and 46 years (mean age 24.2 y) were included in the study. The prevalence of DR was 14.6%, comparable to recent studies of similar populations. A non-proliferative DR was found in 25 children (11.4%) and a proliferative DR in 7 patients (3.2%). The mean duration of diabetes was 153 +/- 6.0 y and mean HbA1c 8.0 +/- 1.1%. The prevalenc of DR was not significantly influenced by genders (p = 0.52), smoking habits (p = 0.125), monitoring of blood glucose (p = 0.812), dyslipidemia (p = 0.435), and obesity. However, patients with DR were significantly older than those without DR (p < 0.001), had a longer duration of diabetes (p < 0.001), and higher systolic and diastolic pressures (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01 respectively). The presence of nephropathy was directly correlated with DR (p < 0.001). Finally, the parents' region of origin and educational level were significant risk factors for the presence of DR (p = 0.05 and p < 0.001 respectively).
Conclusion: The prevalence of DR in young type I diabetic patients followed in the CCC in Lebanon is relatively low and comparable to that published worldwide, with a decrease during the last 25 years, due to a multidisciplinary approach and a centralized control of risk factors.