Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among Saudis with diabetes type 2 in Riyadh city

Abstract

Objective: To assess awareness of diabetic retinopathy (DR) for Saudis with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 in Riyadh City. Methods: A cross-sectional study that used self-administered questionnaires conducted in primary healthcare centers in Riyadh City between October and December 2019. Results: There were 267 Saudi participants with diabetes mellitus type 2 visiting primary healthcare clinics. (52.4%) were aged 40 years or above at time of diagnosis with diabetes. (73%) had diabetes for at least 5 years. Most of the participants have a good blood glucose control and they do home measurements. In regard to DR, (64.4%) of participants had no subjective or objective indicators of retinopathy, and (70%) had visited ophthalmology clinics. Majority of the participants were advised about DR or referred to an ophthalmologist by their primary physician, with the percentages being (64.8%) and (59.6%), respectively. Regarding other risk factors of DR, (19.5%) had a family history of DR, (23.2%) of participant are smokers and (41.6%) were hypertensives. Majority of the participants were aware about all the aspects of DR, its consequences, and appropriate management except the laser therapy. In terms of area of living and education respondents, who lived in the center of Riyadh City and the secondary level or less educated participants had the lowest level of education. Conclusions: Awareness of DR is acceptable but should not lead this information to reduced awareness and educational programs. Outreach researchers' efforts should cover other directions instead awareness of DR.

Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Qassim, Saudi Arabia

“…[ 4 ] In our study, 86% of patients were aware of the relationship between retinopathy and DM, and this percentage is comparable to (83.9%) reported in studies carried out in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh and Jeddah) as well as in studies conducted locally and globally. [ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ] Furthermore, compared to the level of awareness reported in studies in other countries such as China (36.6%) and India (37.1%), our study showed a much higher awareness level. [ 14 15 ] However, using different measurements and standards to assess the knowledge about DR makes the comparison between the results of these various studies difficult.…”

“…This result is consistent with many studies conducted in other regions and countries. [ 4 5 8 9 10 13 16 ] Also, our study showed that younger patients were more aware of DR compared to older patients; this may be explained by the fact that younger patients are more educated and exposed to media than older patients. Nevertheless, gender, duration of DM, type of DM treatment, BMI, and HBA1c level showed no significant association with the awareness of DR.…”