ANNUAL OPHTHALMOLOGICAL EXAMINATION IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES MELLITUS: DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS BASED ON THE 2019 PNS

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.15952925150814

• Palavras-chave: Diabetes Mellitus; Ophthalmology; Diabetic Retinopathy.

• Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus; Ophthalmology; Diabetic Retinopathy.

• Abstract:

  Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) presents high morbidity and mortality rates in patients who do not achieve adequate glycemic control. Among the complications of DM is diabetic retinopathy, for which annual screening with ophthalmological evaluation is indicated. The frequency of this evaluation is essential, since diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of acquired blindness in developing countries. Objective: To describe the percentages of annual ophthalmological examinations in people with DM in Brazil according to demographic characteristics. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study based on data from the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS), a population-based survey in Brazil. The percentage of people who reported a diagnosis of diabetes and had an eye exam in the 12 months prior to the interview was selected. The following demographic variables were evaluated: region, gender, age, color/race, education, income, and housing situation. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Among the people interviewed in the 2019 PNS who reported a diagnosis of DM, only 36.7% had undergone an eye exam in the 12 months prior to the survey. The region with the highest percentage of eye exam records was the Southeast (40.8%). Regarding gender, 36.8% of men and 36.6% of women with DM had undergone an eye exam in the country. The 60-64 and 65-74 age groups had the highest percentages of eye exams (40.8% and 39.1%, respectively). In terms of skin color, white people accounted for the highest rates (40.3%). It was observed that the population with the highest level of education had the highest percentages (50.6% in people with complete higher education, contrasting with 32.2% in those without education). In relation to income, there is an increase in the percentage of examinations as declared income increases, reaching the highest rate in the population earning 3 or more minimum wages. Conclusions: It was observed that, among people with DM, the percentage of annual eye exams is low, regardless of gender, region of the country, or age group, not reaching 40% of the total affected population in 2019. Even so, a higher relative rate of examinations was observed in some demographic groups, such as the white population, those with higher income, those with higher education, and residents of urban areas.