Auteurs : Mvitu-Muaka M, Longo-Mbenza B and Nkondi Mbadi A Nsungu J
Mvitu-Muaka et al. J Diabetes Metab
Abstract
Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence and risk diabetics factors of cataracts in type 2 diabetics. The association between advanced diabetic retinopathy, vision loss and cataracts was also investigated among patients with diabetic retinopathy.
Methods:
This was a community-based and analytic cross-sectional survey among 300 patients (males: 113, mean age: 58 ± 12 years).
Results: One hundred forty patients (46.7%) had cataracts versus 95 patients (32%) with diabetic retinopathy (82 non proliferative and 13 proliferative).
Male sex, maculopathy, smoking, total and abdominal obesity, aging, uncontrolled diabetes, longer duration and high socioeconomic status were the univariate risk factors of cataracts. Only total obesity was the strong, significant
and independent determinant of cataracts. There was a significant association between cataracts and blindness in the total study population. Among patients with diabetic retinopathy, those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy were older and presented higher frequency of metabolic syndrome, blindness, visual impairment and cataracts than their counterparts with non proliferative diabetic retinopathy. In patients with diabetic retinopathy, only aging, total obesity, cataract, and smoking were individually and significantly associated with visual impairment.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of cataracts among these African type 2 diabetics was 46.7%. Total obesity was a strong independent determinant of the presence of cataracts. The removal of total obesity will contribute to prevent the risk of blindness due to cataracts among African type 2 diabetics.