Sidda Naik Bukke1, Rama Lakshmi Badugu2, Ramachandraiah Gurapa3, Sree Pushpa Vani Gopavaram4, Rama Thulasi Bukkacherla5
BACKGROUND
Patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) are 25 times more likely to become blind
than non-diabetics.1 One of the main difficulties in establishing a relationship
between the degree of hyperglycemia and the long-term complications of diabetes
is the lack of a reliable and objective method for the assessment of diabetic control.
Recordings of glycated proteins, serum proteins, and primary hemoglobin, have
added a new dimension to glycemia assessment. HbA1c has been known to be a
marker to assess the long-term control of diabetes mellitus. Few studies have
shown the correlation between HbA1c and different grades of DR in the past. The
purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of HbA1c with different
grades of diabetic retinopathy.
METHODS
A descriptive correlative study was conducted among 100 diabetic patients
attending the Department of Ophthalmology in S.V.R.R.G.G. Hospital, Tirupathi,
for a duration of one year. Relevant history regarding their diabetes was noted.
The status of diabetic retinopathy in each patient was diagnosed by
comprehensive ophthalmologic examination and classified according to the early
treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) system. Patients were evaluated for
their HbA1c levels.
RESULTS
Out of 100 patients, 43 % of participants were females, and the remaining 57 %
were males. A statistically significant correlation was found between different
grades of diabetic retinopathy and HbA1c levels. The other factor which had a
significant correlation was the duration of diabetes and grade of retinopathy (P –
value < 0.05). Age of the patient, gender of the patient, did not significantly
correlate when compared in different grades of diabetic retinopathy (P - value >
0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
A statistically significant correlation was found between HbA1c levels and the
severity of diabetic retinopathy. Higher the level of HbA1c (indicating poor
glycaemic control), the more severe is the grade of DR in those set of patients.
