Can cause blindness
Control glucose reduces the ocular involvement by diabetes by 50%
Madrid, May 7.(Press Europa) -
Carlos III hospital hosted the presentation of a study conducted in coordination with primary care, which has proven that blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes reduces the risk of suffering some type of type ofOcular affectation produced by this disease.
The study has been carried out with a sample of 3,422 primary care patients from the Community of Madrid, the regional government reported.
The director of the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Carlos III Hospital, Miguel Ángel Salinero Fort, has coordinated a study on type 2 diabetes in primary care patients who have lasted two years.The study has a sample of 3,422 patients and its objective has been to investigate the evolution of this disease.
Among the conclusions that have been obtained, it emphasizes that, in these patients, the good control of blood glucose reduces the risk of diabetic retinopathy by 50 percent.This complication occurs as diabetes develops and blood sugar levels remain abnormally high, injuring blood vessels, nerves and other structures, being able to cause blindness.
Within the study it has been proven that 8.2 percent of patients had diabetic retinopathy known at the beginning and, two years of follow -up, their incidence rose to 12 percent.The incidence of retinopathy during the two years of follow -up was significantly associated with a series of factors such as: the duration of the disease greater than six years, the presence of proteins in the urine (microalbuminuria), the lack of glycemic control andPeripheral arteriopathy.
Another conclusions is that two -year mortality affected 3.2 percent of patients, being the cause in half of cardiovascular origin.Likewise, mortality was significantly associated with the age over 80, having presented an acute myocardial infarction, a stroke or an episode of heart failure, all regardless of gender, treatment with antiaregagers, presence of retinopathy, pressure levelsarterial and blood glucose control.
On the other hand, this day on diabetes will have the presence of Professor Jaakko Tuomilehto, Professor of Public Health at the University of Helsinki and the Diabetes and Genetic Epidemiology Unit of the National Institute of Public Health of Helsinki, in Finland.He was also Minister of Health and among his works he has demonstrated, with different studies on the modification of the lifestyle, that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be reduced by half in high -risk people, that the effects of this modification are rapidand that the benefits are similar in different ethnic groups.
Within the field of diabetes and as a strategic research line, the Carlos III Hospital has launched several studies on the identification of the population of risk, early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes in which internal medicine services participate,Endocrinology and the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Center, all in coordination with primary care professionals.
