Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Apr;6(2):405.
doi: 10.4172/2155-9570.1000405. Epub 2015 Mar 13.

Beyond HbA1c: Environmental Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy

Kristen Harris Nwanyanwu  1 , Paula-Anne Newman-Casey  2 , Thomas W Gardner  2 , Jennifer I Lim  1
Affiliations

Beyond HbA1c: Environmental Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy

Kristen Harris Nwanyanwu et al. J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy affects 4.2 million people in the United States and is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged people. As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, cost-effective interventions to decrease blindness from diabetic retinopathy will be paramount. While HbA1c and duration of disease are known risk factors, they account for only 11% of the risk of developing microvascular complications from the disease. The assessment of environmental risk factors for diabetic eye disease allows for the determination of modifiable population-level challenges that may be addressed to facilitate the end of blindness from diabetes.

Keywords: Diabetes; Diabetic retinopathy; Retina.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Circle of environmental influence on patient outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Hirsch IB, Brownlee M. Beyond hemoglobin A1c--need for additional markers of risk for diabetic microvascular complications. JAMA. 2010;303:2291–2292. - PubMed
    1. Zhang X, Saaddine JB, Chou CF, Cotch MF, Cheng YJ, et al. Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the United States, 2005–2008. JAMA. 2010;304:649–656. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2011.
    1. Wong TY, Klein R, Klein BEK. Epidemiology and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. In: Scott IU, Flynn HW, Smiddy WE, editors. Diabetes and Ocular disease: Past, Present, and Future Therapies. Oxford University Press; New York: 2010. pp. 71–89.
    1. Harris MI, Klein R, Cowie CC, Rowland M, Byrd-Holt DD. Is the risk of diabetic retinopathy greater in non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic whites with type 2 diabetes? A U.S. population study. Diabetes Care. 1998;21:1230–1235. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources