[Prospective studies of diabetic retinopathy in a cohort of patients with type II diabetes mellitus].

To gain current data about epidemiology of diabetic retinopathy in a population of type 2 diabetics a long-term prospective study was started. The study included 1334 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus registered in Warsaw regional Diabetes Center. The prevalence of any form of diabetic retinopathy in this group was 31.4% and proliferative retinopathy-1.3%. It was found that the patients with retinopathy had diabetes mellitus of longer duration, higher fasting and postprandial levels of glycemia and higher daily proteinuria in comparison with diabetics without retinopathy. Apart from that, a frequency of ischemic heart disease and lower extremity ischemic disease was higher in diabetics with retinopathy. 109 new cases of retinopathy were diagnosed during 3-year follow-up. The study allowed us to determine the current epidemiological parameters concerning diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetics and a set of parameters characterizing people at highest risk of a development of retinopathy.