Premium
Reduced incidence of blindness in relation to diabetes mellitus in southern Germany?
Author(s) -
Genz J.,
Scheer M.,
Trautner C.,
Zöllner I.,
Giani G.,
Icks A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2010.03081.x
Subject(s) - medicine , population , incidence (geometry) , diabetes mellitus , relative risk , poisson regression , attributable risk , diabetic retinopathy , confidence interval , rate ratio , demography , endocrinology , environmental health , physics , sociology , optics
Diabet. Med. 27, 1138–1143 (2010) Abstract Aims We estimated the incidence of blindness in the diabetic and non‐diabetic population in 2008 and compared it with results from 1990–1998 in a neighbouring region. Methods All newly registered blindness allowance recipients in 2008 were drawn up in a German region (population 4.5 million). We estimated sex‐specific, age‐specific and standardized incidence rates of blindness in the diabetic and the non‐diabetic population and relative and attributable risks as a result of diabetes. A comparison to the data from 1990–1998 was performed using log‐linear Poisson regression. Results Four‐hundred and sixty‐eight cases were drawn up (63% female). One‐hundred and twenty‐two (26.1%) had diabetes. Blindness incidence rates (per 100 000 person‐years) standardized to the 2008 German population were: men 9.1 (95% confidence interval 7.8–10.5), women 9.9 (8.8–11.1); diabetic population: men 21.8 (11.6–31.9), women 19.7 (9.2–30.1); non‐diabetic population: men 8.0 (6.6–9.5), women 9.1 (7.9–10.3). Relative risk of blindness, diabetic vs. non‐diabetic population: men 2.7 (1.6–4.5), women 2.2 (1.3–3.8). Attributable risk among exposed: 63% in men, 54% in women. Population attributable risk: 12% in men, 8% in women. Incidences of blindness were significantly lower than in all years of the period 1990–1998 in both the diabetic and the non‐diabetic population. Conclusions We found the incidence of blindness to be approximately 2.5‐fold higher in the diabetic compared with the non‐diabetic population. Fifty‐eight per cent of the risk to become blind in diabetic individuals and 9% of the risk to become blind in the entire population were attributable to diabetes. The decrease of the blindness incidence observed during the 1990s may have continued.