[Diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed patients with type II diabetes mellitus].

PURPOSE: To report the prevalence of the diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed patients with type II diabetes mellitus and to evaluate the association between the retinopathy and different clinical variables.

METHOD: A prospective study including all the newly diagnosed patients with type II diabetes mellitus between January 2001-March 2002 in the evidence of the Diabetes Center from Cluj has been conducted. The fundus appearance, age, sex, incidence of arterial hypertension and the diabetes therapy (diet alone, oral drugs, insulin) have been evaluated.

RESULTS: During January 2001-March 2002, 487 patients have been diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus in Cluj county. Diabetic retinopathy has been identified in 70 of these patients (14.37%). Most of the newly diagnosed patients with type II diabetes mellitus belonged to the age interval: 40-65 years, with an average of 58-59 years.

CONCLUSIONS: Among the 70 patients with diabetic retinopathy at the moment of type II diabetes diagnosis, the first place is occupied by the back-ground diabetic retinopathy. (11.70%), followed by the clinically significant macular edema (1.43%), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (1.02%) and preproliferative diabetic retinopathy (0.20%). Systolic and diastolic arterial hypertension has been associated with higher degrees of severity of the diabetic retinopathy.