Diabetic retinopathy and disability

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most severe complications of diabetes. Due to the ageing of the nation, it is expected that the number of the individuals suffering from this condition will increase. Aim: To analyze the diabetic retinopathy related disability for the period 2005-2012 in Eastern Bulgaria. Material and methods: An analysis of the cumulative primary disability (PD) per 100 000 persons due to diabetic retinopathy, divided by gender, age, impairment severity and retinopathy type. Results and discussion: The disease occupies the second place as the cause of visual disability. Monocular decrease of the vision for both periods and for both genders shows significantly lower values. The PD caused by diabetic complications within the first time interval shows multiple variations in Varna region compared to the rest of the regions and the women of the district cities and the village population in general are more affected. Shumen region is the leading region in terms of nonproliferative retinopathy. Regarding the proliferative retinipathy the leading regions are Burgas, Dobrich and Shumen for male patients and Shumen, Sliven and Razgrad for female patients. Conclusions: The decreased PD within the second period is a sign of a correct disease management.