The prevalence and risk factors of retinopathy and nephropathy in prediabetic population

Aim There are very few studies in which retinopathy is determined by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) in prediabetics. We aimed to determine the frequency of retinopathy with a sensitive method and its relation to nephropathy in the prediabetic population. Materials and methods We selected 30 impaired fasting glucose (IFG), 30 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 30 IFG + IGT prediabetic patients, who were admitted to Ege University Faculty of Medicine between January 2019 and September 2019. Demographic and comorbidity profiles and laboratory data were collected. Microalbumin/creatinine ratio in spot urine was examined. FFA was performed in 86 eligible patients. Results Sixteen (18.6%) of the 86 patients included in our study had very mild non-proliferative retinopathy according to FFA findings. Nephropathy was detected in 13 (15.1%) of 86 patients. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was found to be significantly associated with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum uric acid level, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and anti-hyperlipidemic drug use. A significant relationship was found between diabetic nephropathy and systolic blood pressure, serum uric acid levels, and eGFR levels. Conclusion Our findings suggest the incidence of both retinopathy and nephropathy (18.6% and 15.1%, respectively) may be higher than expected in prediabetic patients. In addition, we describe that there may be a relationship between macrovascular complications and microvascular complications in patients with prediabetes.