Prevalence of dyslipidaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and its association to diabetic retinopathy in a Malaysian tertiary hospital

• Main Authors: Samsudin, Intan Nureslyna, Md Saleh, Rafidah, Chellappah Thambiah, Subashini, Mohamad Amir Hamzah, Aiffa Syafira, Wan Khalik, Wan Noor Fatini, George, Elizabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia 2014
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41422/1/Prevalence%20of%20dyslipidaemia%20in%20type%202%20diabetes%20mellitus%20patients%20and%20its%20association%20to%20diabetic%20retinopathy%20in%20a%20Malaysian%20tertiary%20hospital.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41422/; http://www.medic.upm.edu.my/dokumen/FKUSK1_Jurnal_Text_Article_6.pdf

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication of diabetes, which is a cause of visual impairment and blindness. Its development and progression have been linked to dyslipidaemia, although the link remains inconclusive. Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dyslipidaemia among type 2 diabetic patients with DR in a tertiary setting and to determine the association between dyslipidaemia and DR severity. Materials and methods: This was a cross sectional study using retrospective data of type 2 diabetic patients attending the opthalmology clinic of a tertiary centre from January 2007 to June 2014. Results of their fasting lipid profile and clinical data were retrieved from the hospital information system. Results: A total of 178 patient’s data were collected. 120 (n=67.4%) patients had non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NDPR) with moderate NPDR being the most prevalent. Dyslipidaemia was noted in 151 (84.8%) of the patients. Patients had a combination of more than one abnormality in the lipid profile with increased LDL-cholesterol being the main abnormality. Dyslipidaemia was however, not significantly associated with DR severity. Conclusion: Dyslipidaemia was highly prevalent in DR patients. The dyslipidaemia was however not associated with severity of DR.