TY - JOUR
T1 - Diabetic retinopathy in nauruans
AU - King, Hilary
AU - Balkau, Beverley
AU - Zimmet, Paul
AU - Taylor, Richard
AU - Raper, L. Robin
AU - Borger, James
AU - Heriot, Wilson
PY - 1983/6
Y1 - 1983/6
N2 - An epidemiologic survey of the whole adult Micronesian population of Nauru in the Central Pacific conducted in 1982 has confirmed that Nauruans, along with Pima Indians, suffer the highest rate of abnormal glucose tolerance yet recorded. To establish the morbid effects of hyperglycemia in this population, all responders to the diabetes survey were concurrently examined for diabetic retinopathy. In diabetic subjects, the crude prevalence of retinopathy was 24%. Specific rates were determined at various levels of the following characteristics: age, two-hour post-load plasma glucose, body mass index, duration of diabetes, and systolic blood pressure. Prevalence was found to rise with increasing two-hour plasma glucose and duration, to fall with increasing body mass index, and to have a quadratic relationship with age and systolic blood pressure. The multiple logistic regression model was used to determine whether the selected characteristics were significant in increasing the risk of retinopathy. Body mass index and systolic blood pressure did not contribute significantly to this risk after controlling for age. Increasing two-hour plasma glucose significantly increased the risk of retinopathy, and duration of disease was the strongest predictor variable. This study shows that the consequences of hyperglycemia in this Micronesian population are comparable to those already documented in European and American Indian communities.
AB - An epidemiologic survey of the whole adult Micronesian population of Nauru in the Central Pacific conducted in 1982 has confirmed that Nauruans, along with Pima Indians, suffer the highest rate of abnormal glucose tolerance yet recorded. To establish the morbid effects of hyperglycemia in this population, all responders to the diabetes survey were concurrently examined for diabetic retinopathy. In diabetic subjects, the crude prevalence of retinopathy was 24%. Specific rates were determined at various levels of the following characteristics: age, two-hour post-load plasma glucose, body mass index, duration of diabetes, and systolic blood pressure. Prevalence was found to rise with increasing two-hour plasma glucose and duration, to fall with increasing body mass index, and to have a quadratic relationship with age and systolic blood pressure. The multiple logistic regression model was used to determine whether the selected characteristics were significant in increasing the risk of retinopathy. Body mass index and systolic blood pressure did not contribute significantly to this risk after controlling for age. Increasing two-hour plasma glucose significantly increased the risk of retinopathy, and duration of disease was the strongest predictor variable. This study shows that the consequences of hyperglycemia in this Micronesian population are comparable to those already documented in European and American Indian communities.
KW - Diabetic retinopathy
KW - Hyperglycemia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0020625644&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113599
DO - 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113599
M3 - Article
C2 - 6859021
AN - SCOPUS:0020625644
VL - 117
SP - 659
EP - 667
JO - American Journal of Epidemiology
JF - American Journal of Epidemiology
SN - 0002-9262
IS - 6
ER -