Diabetic retinopathy and associated factors in elderly care in a specialized center in Northeast Brazil

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.3542523046

• Palavras-chave: idoso; diabetes mellitus; retinopatia diabética

• Keywords: Elderly; diabetes mellitus; diabetic retinopathy.

• Abstract: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the consequences of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), being one of the main causes of irreversible visual loss in the general population, having associated factors of significant importance. Background/Objectives: To characterize the diabetic elderly affected by RD and the related factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, consisting of people aged 65 and over with DM, with more than one year of diagnosis, attended in the city of Fortaleza-CE. The total sample of this research was 256 elderly people, obtaining secondary data from the ophthalmological evaluation for the diabetic retinopathy outcome, resulting in 111 elderly people. Results: It was evidenced that of the 111 evaluated patients, 62 (55.8%) presented DR on examination. The findings showed an association between diabetic neuropathy (DN) and DR, with 66.7% (32) of elderly diabetics with DN expressing associated DR. Of the patients using insulin, 63.6% (42) had DR. Regarding the use of oral antidiabetic drugs, 48.2% (40) of those who use it revealed RD on examination, against 51.8% (43) who did not present this disease. There was also a relationship between time of disease in years and RD, with a median of 18 years for the outcome. There was no significant association between other variables and DR. Conclusions: This is an important complication of DM, with modifiable risk factors and that has deleterious consequences for patients' quality of life. Therefore, it needs studies and public policies for prevention and early detection.