Background

Retinopathy associated with diabetes, also known as Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes. Apolipoprotein and lipid profiles have been identified as potential predictors of DR development

Objectives

To identify risk factors for retinopathy in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in Medan earlier and to improve the management of the complications.

Material and methods

There were 89 patients with T2DM (60 non-retinopathy and 29 retinopathy patients) included in this cross-sectional analysis. A fundoscopic examination revealed that DR was present. The Blood Glucose Levels (BGL), HbA1C, Apolipoprotein-A1 (Apo-A1), Total Cholesterol (TC), HDL Cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL Cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, and vitamin D were measured using blood analysis. Albuminuria was measured by comparing the amount of albumin in the urine to the amount of creatinine (ACR). The association between each predictor and DR was calculated using bivariate analysis, the independent t-Test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Multivariate anal-ysis was performed using the logistic regression test (p < 0.05).

Results

Retinopathy predictive modelling found that while hypertension, LDL-C, and triglycerides were poor predic-tors, BGL, TC, and ACR were all positive.

Conclusions

T2DM patients should be aware of the signs of elevated BGL, total cholesterol, and ACR, since these factors reliably predict the occurrence of DR issues. Educating patients and giving them more control over their lives is essential to avoiding the progression of chronic conditions.