Decline in the Cumulative Incidence of Severe Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes
- Janne P. Kytö, MD1,2,
- Valma Harjutsalo, PHD2,3,4,
- Carol Forsblom, DMSC2,4,
- Kustaa Hietala, MD1,2,
- Paula A. Summanen, MD, DMSC, FEBO1,
- Per-Henrik Groop, MD, DMSC2,4,5⇓ and
- on behalf of the FinnDiane Study Group
- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- 2Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
- 3Diabetes Prevention Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
- 4Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- 5Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Corresponding author: Per-Henrik Groop, per-henrik.groop{at}helsinki.fi.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine if the cumulative incidence of severe retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes has changed.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study looked at 3,781 patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (1939–2005), median age at onset 13 (interquartile range [IQR] 9–21) years, and duration of diabetes 19 (IQR 13–27) years. The severe retinopathy was based on a history of laser treatment. Patients were divided into <1975, 1975–1979, 1980–1984, and ≥1985 cohorts according to the diagnosis of diabetes.
RESULTS The cumulative incidence of severe retinopathy has declined (P < 0.0001). After 20 years of duration, the cumulative incidence was 23% (95% CI 21–25) and 33 (30–35) in the earliest cohorts, 18 (15–21) in the next cohort, and 6 (4–9) in the recent cohort. After 30 years, the cumulative incidence was 52 and 48% in the earliest cohorts, while it was 62% after 40 years in the earliest cohort.
CONCLUSIONS The cumulative incidence of severe retinopathy has declined in patients with type 1 diabetes.
Footnotes
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This article contains Supplementary Data online at http://care.diabetesjournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.2337/dc10-2391/-/DC1.
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See accompanying editorial, p. 2130.
- Received December 20, 2010.
- Accepted March 27, 2011.
- © 2011 by the American Diabetes Association.
Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for details.
