Retinopathy in persons with impaired glucose metabolism: the Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study

Abstract

Purpose: To describe risk factors and vascular disease associations of retinopathy in people with impaired glucose metabolism.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Methods: Retinal photographs taken of participants with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose were graded for retinopathy. Risk factors and cardiovascular outcomes were ascertained.

Results: Retinopathy was present in 69 (6.7%) of 1027 participants with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose. After multivariate adjustment, retinopathy was associated with prevalent stroke (odds ratio 4.2, 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 9.7).

Conclusions: Retinopathy is common in persons with impaired glucose metabolism and may be associated with prevalent stroke.