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. 2024 May 1;47(5):844-848.
doi: 10.2337/dc23-1626.

Socioeconomic Deprivation and the Risk of Sight-Threatening Diabetic Retinopathy: A Population-Based Cohort Study in the U.K

Luyuan Tan  1 , Jingya Wang  1 , Jieun Han  1 , Christopher Sainsbury  1 , Alastair K Denniston  2   3 , Francesca L Crowe  1 , Konstantinos A Toulis  1 , Muhammad Ali Karamat  4 , Mi Yao  5 , Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar  1
Affiliations

Socioeconomic Deprivation and the Risk of Sight-Threatening Diabetic Retinopathy: A Population-Based Cohort Study in the U.K

Luyuan Tan et al. Diabetes Care. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the associations between socioeconomic deprivation and sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Research design and methods: Data from 175,628 individuals with diabetes in the Health Improvement Network were used to assess the risk of STDR across Townsend Deprivation Index quantiles using Cox proportional hazard regression.

Results: Among individuals with T1D, the risk of STDR was three times higher (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.67, 95% CI 1.05-7.78) in the most deprived quintile compared with the least deprived quintile. In T2D, the most deprived quintile had a 28% higher risk (aHR 1.28; 95% CI 1.15-1.43) than the least deprived quintile.

Conclusions: Increasing socioeconomic deprivation is associated with a higher risk of developing STDR in people with diabetes. This underscores persistent health disparities linked to poverty, even within a country offering free universal health care. Further research is needed to address health equity concerns in socioeconomically deprived regions.

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