Principais fatores de risco para retinopatia diabética na população adulta: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

The global epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been accompanied by a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity, especially in developed countries.Both forms of the disease lead to chronic hyperglycemia, which contributes to complications such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), a microangiopathy that damages the retinal vessels. Without adequate treatment, DR may progress to blindness, significantly impacting quality of life. It is estimated that one third of individuals with DM develop some degree of DR, which highlights the importance of investigations on risk factors related to this severe condition. The present study aims to analyze the prevalence between classic clinical or metabolic risk factors (duration of diabetes, systemic arterial hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and glycated hemoglobin) and the development of diabetic retinopathy in the population with type 2 diabetes mellitus older than 18 years of age, through a systematic review of cohort and case-control articles, which was conducted according to PRISMA. Thirty-one eligible studies were found to be included in the review, all of them with a cohort design. Among the risk factors, glycated hemoglobin and duration of diabetes stood out, appearing as significant results in 22 and 21 articles, respectively. Variation in findings regarding lipid profile and obesity was also noted, as well as a discrepancy between univariate and multivariate analyses among factors related to blood pressure.