Factors associated with retinal screening among patients with diabetes in Taiwan

Trends in diabetic eye disorders and associated comorbidities in Taiwan: a 10-year nationwide population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND/AIMS

In-depth analysis is needed to investigate trends in diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular oedema (DME) and associated comorbidities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) so that we can better understand their prevalence and incidence.

METHODS

A retrospective population-based study was conducted using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 2005 to 2015, and T2DM, DR and associated comorbidities were identified based on diagnostic codes. We used a standardised incidence rate with age and sex adjustment to estimate the prevalence and incidence of DR, proliferative DR (PDR), advanced PDR (aPDR) and DME, while the difference in each study period was calculated as the annual percentage change. We used the absolute standardised difference to analyse changes in related comorbidities in different periods.

RESULTS

The population of patients with DM increased over 50% between 2005 and 2015, while the prevalence and incidence of DR decreased, as did the incidence of PDR and aPDR. However, the prevalence and incidence of DME increased over the course of 10 years, with an upward trend in all forms of DR. The percentage of patients with hyperlipidaemia in DME and all DR increased, and the percentage of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was also elevated in DME.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence and incidence of DR, PDR and aPDR decreased with time in patientsT2DM, while the ratio of DME increased gradually. The incidence of hyperlipidaemia also increased in all forms of diabetic eye disorders, while ESRD increased solely in DME.

Evaluating Adherence to Diabetic Retinopathy Care in an Urban Ophthalmology Clinic Utilizing the Compliance With Annual Diabetic Eye Exams Survey

Introduction The objective of this study was to identify barriers that affect adherence to the management of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in an urban ophthalmology clinic. Patient beliefs regarding diabetic eye care, transportation to the eye clinic, the COVID-19 pandemic, and treatment with panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections were investigated. Materials and methods The original Compliance with Annual Diabetic Eye Exams Survey (CADEES) included 44 statements designed with a 5-point Likert scale to assess patients' beliefs and understanding of their eye health and the importance of diabetic eye examinations. This survey was modified to include additional statements regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and free-response questions about transportation barriers and patients' subjective experiences with PRP or anti-VEGF injections. A total of 365 patients with a diagnosis of any stage of DR from SLUCare Ophthalmology were identified as potential participants to complete the telephone survey. Patients were classified as non-adherent if they did not have a dilated eye examination within the past year, missed a scheduled follow-up appointment for DR care within the past year, or missed an appointment for anti-VEGF injections or PRP. The mean Likert scores for each CADEES statement were compared between the adherent and non-adherent groups using independent samples t-tests. Demographics and clinical indicators were also reported and compared between the two groups. Results Out of 365 patients, 68 completed the modified CADEES. Twenty-nine patients were adherent, and 39 patients were non-adherent. Results from six of the 54 CADEES statements were significantly different between the adherent and non-adherent groups. These statements addressed patients' perception of their eye health, self-confidence in making an eye appointment, knowing someone with diabetic eye complications, self-confidence in controlling blood sugar, ability to use public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and prioritizing eye health during the pandemic. There were no significant differences in clinical indicators or demographics between the adherent and non-adherent groups. Of the participants, 39.7% offered reasons for why transportation to the eye clinic was difficult. Patients suggested three novel reasons for missing eye appointments that were not specifically addressed in the CADEES. Fourteen unique barriers were reported for non-adherence with PRP or anti-VEGF injections. Conclusions The CADEES is a thorough tool for evaluating social barriers impacting adherence with DR appointments in an urban ophthalmology clinic. The survey did not identify any clinical or demographic risk factors for non-adherence in this patient population. Decreased patient self-efficacy may lead to non-adherence with the management of DR. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the adherence of a small percentage of patients.

Adherence to Annual Fundus Exams among Chinese Population with Diagnosed Diabetes

Adherence to annual fundus examinations in the Chinese population with diabetes and its correlates have not been investigated. The present study obtained data for the first nationally representative survey in China, China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS), which collected a wide range of data every 2 years, including demographic, socioeconomic, medical and lifestyle-related information. The adherence rates to annual fundus exams across four waves (2011−2018) were assessed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to determine factors associated with adherence. The adherence rates to annual fundus examinations of ou study population were 23.6% in 2011, 15.3% in 2013, 17.5% in 2015 and 21.5% in 2018, respectively. Consistent results over four waves showed that non-adherent patients had a relatively lower educational level, insufficient diabetes medication use, fewer non-medication treatments and irregular physical examination compared to those who were adherent to the annual fundus exam (all p values < 0.05). These variables were further identified as factors associated with adherence according to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses (all p values < 0.05). The present study provides explicit evidence that the adherence rate to annual fundus examinations among Chinese population with diabetes is worryingly low. Insufficient educational attainment, especially specific diabetes education, has a negative impact on patients’ adherence to clinical guideline for eye health.

The Sociodemographic and Risk Factors for Keratoconus: Nationwide Matched Case-Control Study in Taiwan, 1998-2015

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine the sociodemographic and risk factors for keratoconus (KC) patients with a nationwide Asian database.

DESIGN

Population-based matched case-control study.

METHODS

We performed a secondary data analysis of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Cases were patients with newly diagnosed KC in 1998-2015. Controls were patients without KC and matched 4:1 with the KC cases by age, sex, and index date. Comorbidities diagnosed before KC included diabetes mellitus (DM), asthma, allergic rhinitis, mitral valve prolapse, collagen vascular disease, aortic aneurysm, Down syndrome, sleep apnea, depression, hyperlipidemia, astigmatism, and myopia. Conditional logistic regression with forward selection were used to obtain risk factors for KC.

RESULTS

A total of 5,055 patients with KC were matched with 20,220 controls. The average age at KC first diagnosis was 29.76 years. Individuals who lived in suburban and rural area had lower odds ratio of KC (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80-0.94; and 0.73, 95% CI 0.67-0.79; respectively) when comparing with those who lived in urban area. Multivariate analysis revealed that Down syndrome, astigmatism, myopia, allergic rhinitis, and asthma were positively associated with KC with adjusted odds ratios (adjusted OR 8.69, 95% CI 3.74-20.19; 6.23, 95% CI 5.35-7.24; 2.99, 95% CI 2.70-3.32; 1.22, 95% CI 1.14-1.32; and 1.18, 95% CI 1.07-1.30, respectively). On the other hand, hyperlipidemia, depression, and DM (uncomplicated and complicated) were negatively associated with KC (adjusted OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.59-0.77; 0.58, 95% CI 0.48-0.71; 0.77, 95% CI 0.64-0.93; and 0.61, 95% CI 0.44-0.86, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found that patients with hyperlipidemia, depression, or DM were less likely to have KC, and patients with asthma, allergic rhinitis, astigmatism, myopia, or Down syndrome had higher odds ratio of KC.

Patient and provider perspectives on barriers to screening for diabetic retinopathy: an exploratory study from southern India

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of visual impairment after cataract and uncorrected refractive error. It has major public health implications globally, especially in countries such as India where the prevalence of diabetes is high. With timely screening and intervention, the disease progression to blindness can be prevented, but several barriers exist. As compliance to diabetic retinopathy screening in people with diabetes is very poor in India, this study was conducted to explore understanding of and barriers to diabetic retinopathy screening from the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers.

METHODS

Using qualitative methods, 15 consenting adult patients with diabetes were selected purposively from those attending a large tertiary care private eye hospital in southern India. Eight semistructured interviews were carried out with healthcare providers working in large private hospitals. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the framework analytical approach.

RESULTS

Four themes that best explained the data were recognising and living with diabetes, care-seeking practices, awareness about diabetic retinopathy and barriers to diabetic retinopathy screening. Findings showed that patients were aware of diabetes but understanding of diabetic retinopathy and its complications was poor. Absence of symptoms, difficulties in doctor-patient interactions and tedious nature of follow-up care were some major deterrents to care seeking reported by patients. Difficulties in communicating information about diabetic retinopathy to less literate patients, heavy work pressure and silent progression of the disease were major barriers to patients coming for follow-up care as reported by healthcare providers.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhancing patient understanding through friendly doctor-patient interactions will promote trust in the doctor. The use of an integrated treatment approach including education by counsellors, setting up of patient support groups, telescreening approaches and use of conversation maps may prove more effective in the long run.

Barriers for Adherence to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening among Saudi Adults

Background

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the major complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the leading cause of blindness among adults. However, adherence to diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) significantly reduces blindness. A substantial proportion of diabetics have suboptimal compliance to DRS, which inversely affects their outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the level of adherence to DRS and to explore the factors possibly associated with poor adherence to regular screening among diabetics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted that encompassed 404 adult diabetic patients attending outpatient clinics in four hospitals in Riyadh. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection that included five main sections: sociodemographic data, diabetic profile, assessment of knowledge about DR, attitude toward DRS, and barriers to DRS. Data were analyzed by SPSS, version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY); qualitative variables were described as percentages, and quantitative variables were described as means ± standard deviation (SD). We used the chi-square test to measure the associations between qualitative variables and binary logistic regression analysis to predict the independent barriers to DRS.

Result

The average age of the participants was 54 years, and 69.1% were females. The average duration of diabetes was 12.3 years. Type 2 DM was the most prevalent form of DM (63.6%). DR was reported by 20% of participants. Poor knowledge about DRS was prevalent in 51%. More than one-fifth were never screened for DR. About one-third of participants agreed that cost was an important contributing barrier. Adequate knowledge, increased duration of diabetes, and presence of neurological complications increased independent adherence to screening.

Conclusion

One-fifth of participants reported having DR. Half the participants had poor knowledge about DR, which formed a major barrier against regular screening. However, most participants had positive attitudes about DR screening. Therefore, intervention strategies to increase patients’ awareness of DR might be the cornerstone of ensuring proper adherence to DRS.