Análisis del control de los pacientes incluidos en el programa de cribado de retinopatía diabética

Abstract

Objectives: To study the degree of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and glycemic control in diabetes mellitus patients referred to retinal specialists from general practitioners (GP) included in the Retisalud diabetic retinopathy telemedicine programme from La Candelaria University Hospital in Tenerife, and to compare the GP�s diagnostic results with ophthalmologists�. Methods: A transversal study was conducted during a period of six months. We collected epidemiological variables, clinical data and patient diagnoses in a database. We analyzed whether the glycemic control and the degree of RD were statistically related and we also studied the degree of agreement between both doctors. Results: A total of 1281 diabetic patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 65.23±12.57 years. Genre was equally distributed. 68.9% of patients had had a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test during the previous six months. The mean HbA1c level was 7.5±1.6%. The HbA1c mean level in patients with or without macular edema was (8.93) and (7.47) (p<0.05) respectively. Up to 56.2% of the images referred from the GPs as pathologic, were finally diagnosed as healthy. Discussion: Patients included in the diabetic retinopathy telemedicine programme Retisalud enjoy a good ophthalmologic and glycemic control. There is a statistic significant relationship between diabetic macular edema and glycemic control.