Tamizaje en el diagnóstico y prevalencia de Retinopatía Diabética en atención primaria.

Resumen

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is the first cause of blindness during working years. Aim: To report the coverage of a screening program for diabetic retinopathy in primary care, the prevalence and the severity of the disease. Material and methods: Analysis of retinographies performed to 9076 diabetic patients aged 61 ± 13 years (61% women) adscribed to a Cardiovascular Health program in primary care centers of eastern metropolitan Santiago. The examination was carried out using a digital Polaroid retinograph. Results: The coverage of the screening program was 21%. The prevalence of severe non-proliferative and proliferative diabetic retinopathy was 24.6 and 2.4% respectively. The prevalence of these entities was 45% higher in people aged between 18 and 44 years than in older people. Their prevalence in urban communities was 32% higher than in rural locations. Conclusions: The coverage of the screening program is low. Diabetic patients aged 18 to 44 years and those coming from urban communities have a higher prevalence of severe non-proliferative and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.