Approximately 20% of children with type 1 diabetes had diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the last decade, according to a study that looked at 30-year trends in DR and diabetic macular edema (DME) in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
To identify trends, researchers analyzed 5487 complication assessments for 2404 children between the ages of aged 12 and 20 years with diabetes for >5 years. This was stratified by 3 decades (1990-1999, 2000-2009, 2010-2019).
The prevalence of DR and DME were 40% and 1.4%, respectively for 1990-1999; 21% and 0.5%, respectively, for 2000-2009; and 20% and 0.9%, respectively, for 2010-2019.
DR was associated with 1-2 daily injections and multiple injections compared with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), older age, higher HbA1c, longer diabetes duration, overweight/obesity, and higher diastolic blood pressure SDS. DME was associated with 1-2 daily injections, longer diabetes duration, higher diastolic blood pressure SDS, higher HbA1c, and elevated cholesterol.
“These findings support contemporary guidelines for lower glycemic targets, increasing CSII use, and targeting modifiable risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol, and overweight/obesity,” the authors concluded
Reference
Allen DW, Liew G, Cho YH, et al. Thirty-Year Time Trends in Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2022;dc211652. doi: 10.2337/dc21-1652. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35594057.
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