Attitudes and Awareness Towards Diabetic Retinopathy Among Patients with Diabetes in Amman, Jordan

Factors Affecting the Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. Over time, it can lead to serious complications in the eyes, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and nerves, being the leading cause of blindness among working-age patients.

AIM AND METHODS

This descriptive observational cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the factors affecting the awareness of the general adult diabetic population about their chronic disease and its complications. A survey was distributed anonymously among diabetic patients in different parts of Jordan over four months (January 2023-April 2023), targeting diabetic patients (DMT2 or adults DMT1). The link was sent via WhatsApp to willing candidates. Data collected included age, sex, region, education, home blood sugar (BS) testing, knowledge about cumulative blood sugar test (HbA1c), eye affection by DM, optician role, and doctor and nutritionist follow-up visits. A chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test explored the association between categorical data; a z-test was applied for column proportion differences. An alpha level of 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28 (Released 2021; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York) was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The sample comprised 447 diabetic adults aged 18-80 years. The majority were school-educated or school leavers (278; 62.2%); 20 (4.5%) held a master's or PhD degree. The largest group had DM for one to five years. Insulin was the sole treatment for 188 patients (42.1%), while oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) were used by 170 patients (38%) as the only anti-DM medication. A total of 174 patients (38.9%) had never been seen by an ophthalmologist, and 153 (34.2%) believed an optometrist checkup suffices. Although 381 (85.2%) reported knowing DM affects the eyes, 272 (60.9%) believed they needed to see an ophthalmologist only when experiencing eye symptoms. Less than half (186; 41.6%) had an HbA1c reading of 7% or less. There was a significant correlation between education level and awareness of DM and diabetic retinopathy (DR): HbA1c, regular home BS checkups, early DR symptoms, and optometrist visits. Significant variations in awareness were noted across Jordan's major areas. Diabetics with abnormal HbA1c who visited a nutritionist were almost triple those who did not. The main information source about DM and DR was the treating physician for 298 (66.7%) respondents.

CONCLUSION

Awareness of DM and DR in Jordan is not satisfactory for assisting patients in their long journey with minimal complications. A national awareness campaign utilizing social media and a sustainable screening program prioritizing the north, south, and middle regions of Jordan are needed.

Diabetes-Related Microvascular Complications in Primary Health Care Settings in the West Bank, Palestine

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy are the major diabetes-related microvascular complications. In Palestine, a low-middle-income country, diabetes is the fourth reason for death. However, a few studies examined diabetes microvascular consequences and its management. Therefore, we carried out a national study that aims to investigate the factors associated with diabetes-related microvascular complications among individuals seeking care in primary healthcare settings of the West Bank of Palestine.

METHOD

Using a cluster systematic sampling technique, 882 participants with diabetes patients were chosen for a cross-sectional study from primary healthcare facilities operated by the Ministry of Health (PMoH), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS). Data about patients related to diabetes-related complications, medication use, and other diseases were extracted from patients' medical records. In addition, an interview face-to-face questionnaire was used to collect information about patients' sociodemographic variables, medical history, smoking habits, duration of the disease, presence of concurrent conditions previous referrals, and hospital admissions, as well as their level of knowledge regarding diabetes, complications, and treatments.

RESULTS

Approximately 34.4% of persons with diabetes patients in Palestine encounter at least one microvascular complication associated with diabetes. The most prevalent diabetes-related microvascular complication was retinopathy (17.3%), 23.4% of participants had more than one microvascular complication, and 29% of male patients had erectile dysfunction. A higher probability of having any microvascular complications was associated with older age (over 60 years). Participants with diabetes patients with fundoscopy or ophthalmology reports, according to diabetes follow-up guidelines, were less likely to develop retinopathy. Also, those who performed regular kidney function testing were less likely to have nephropathy, and those who performed a regular foot exam were less likely to develop diabetic foot.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes-related microvascular complications were associated with patient age, low education level, residency location, and adherence to diabetes follow-up guidelines of diabetes management; i.e., having been tested for HbA1c, consulting with specialists, regular kidney function, and foot examination. These factors can be utilized in setting up proper management protocols to prevent or delay microvascular complications in many patients.

Importance of Early Spotting of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Patients by Family Medicine Physicians and Ophthalmologists: A Study in Jordan

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus is a long-standing progressive disorder. Diabetic retinopathy is the primary cause of blindness among adults suffering from diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is found to be dependent on the length of the period affected by diabetes, glucose control, blood pressure, and lipid profile while age, sex, and type of medical therapy were not found to be risk factors.  Aim: This study attempts to determine the importance of early spotting of diabetic retinopathy in Jordanian type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects by family medicine and ophthalmologist physicians, which will help us achieve better health outcomes.  Methods: Our retrospective investigation recruited 950 working-age subjects, of both sexes and with T2DM at three hospitals in Jordan, from September 2019 to June 2022. Early spotting of diabetic retinopathy was done by family medicine physicians and confirmation was done by ophthalmologists using direct ophthalmoscopy. Evaluation of the fundus by pupillary dilation was performed to assess the degree of diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and the number of patients with diabetic retinopathy. The level of severity for diabetic retinopathy at confirmation was done using the classification for diabetic retinopathy produced by the American Association of Ophthalmology (AAO). Continuous parameters and independent t-tests were used to assess the average discrepancy in the degree of retinopathy among subjects. Categorical parameters were mentioned in numbers and percentages and chi-square tests were done to determine discrepancies in proportion among patients.   Results: Early spotting of diabetic retinopathy was recorded by family medicine physicians in 150 (15.8%) of 950 patients with T2DM of whom 56.7% (85/150) were women with an average age of 44 years. Of these 150 subjects with T2DM, who were presumed to have diabetic retinopathy, ophthalmologists diagnosed diabetic retinopathy in 35 patients (35/150; 23.3%). Of these, 33 (94.3%) had non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and two (5.7%) had proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Of the 33 patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 10 had mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 17 had moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and six had severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Subjects aged more than 28 years had a 2.5 times increased risk of experiencing diabetic retinopathy. Awareness and lack of awareness values differed significantly (316 (33.3%), 634 (66.7%); P<0.05, respectively).  Conclusions: Early spotting of diabetic retinopathy by family medicine physicians shortens the delay of diagnosis confirmation by ophthalmologists.

Prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Jordan: a cross-sectional study

Objectives

To measure the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes, to define their characteristics, and identify the associated risk factors.

Methods

We performed a cross sectional study of 1316 adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended an ophthalmology clinic. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were analyzed. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was diagnosed using a complete ophthalmic evaluation, including a fundic examination. Two regression models were constructed to identify the risk factors associated with DR and the parameters associated with the stage of retinopathy.

Results

Men accounted for 774 (58.8%) of the participants. The prevalence of DR was 28.2% (371 participants). DR was significantly more common in participants who were ≥60 years old, were women, had had diabetes for >10 years, were taking insulin, were not taking metformin, had a body mass index >30 kg/m², were current smokers, or had a history of hypertension. Advanced stages of DR were more common in participants in the later stages of nephropathy and with albuminuria.

Conclusions

Poor glycemic control, smoking, and advanced diabetic kidney disease are most closely associated with retinopathy. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to identify the mechanisms underlying these relationships and to guide community-based interventions.