Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 102, Issue 1, January 1995, Pages 7-16
Ophthalmology

The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy XV: The Long-term Incidence of Macular Edema

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Background: As part of a population-based study of diabetes mellitus, the incidence of macular edema over a 10-year period and its relation to various risk factors are examined.

Methods: There were 891 younger-onset people with a diagnosis of having had diabetes before 30 years of age who were taking insulin at baseline examination and 987 older-onset people with a diagnosis of having had diabetes at 30 years of age or older who participated in baseline and 4-year examinations. Of these, 765 youngeronset and 533 older-onset people also participated in a 10-year examination. The presence of macular edema at baseline and follow-up examinations was determined from gradings of stereoscopic fundus photographs.

Results: The incidence of macular edema over the 10-year period was 20.1 % in the younger-onset group, 25.4% in the older-onset group taking insulin, and 13.9% in the older-onset group not taking insulin. The incidence of macular edema over the 10year period was associated with higher levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and more severe retinopathy in both younger- and older-onset groups, and with being female and increased diastolic blood pressure in the older-onset group.

Conclusions: These data suggest a relatively high incidence of macular edema. The authors' data also suggest that a reduction in hyperglycemia may result in a beneficial decrease in the incidence of macular edema.

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    Supported in part by grant EY03083 (Dr. R. Klein) from the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, and, in part, by the Research to Prevent Blindness (Dr. R. Klein, Senior Scientific Investigator Award), New York.

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