Microalbuminuria A Marker for Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes

When microabluminuria was present, almost 40% had signs of retinopathy.

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for the development of retinopathy and microalbuminuria and their correlation in type II diabetic patients. In this cross-sectional study 590 patients suffering from diabetis type II were examined. Fundoscopy was performed by practising ophthalmologist. The ratio of urinary albumin to creatinine was assessed by clinitek 100 (Bayer corporation-USA). HbA1C, height and weight also were measured.

The results showed that the overall prevalence of retinopathy was 39.3% (232 patients), 5.4% of which showed to be prolifrative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). The diabetic retinopathy had significant inverse correlation with body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.02). HbA1C was higher in patients with PDR (mean = 10.5%) than in patients with no signs of retinopathy (mean = 9.5%) and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The prevalence of microalbuminuria was 25.9% while 14.5% of the patients revealed to have macroalbuminuria. As expected, diabetic retinopathy and renal involvement were highly positively correlated. (P = 0.001).

It was concluded from the results that microalbuminuria is associated with diabetic retinopathy in type II diabetic patients and is a reliable marker of retinopathy. BMC Ophthalmol. 2004 Jul 1;4(1):9.

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DID YOU KNOW:
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is 1.5 times higher in Latinos than non-Latino whites. Two million or 8.2% of all Latino Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
Approximately 24% of Mexican Americans in the United States and 26% of Puerto Ricans between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes.
– Nearly 16% of Cuban Americans in the United States between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes.