Decreasing prevalence of retinopathy in childhood-onset type 1 diabetes over the last decade: A comparison of two cohorts diagnosed 10 years apart

Abstract

Aim: To ascertain whether the prevalence of retinopathy has declined over the last 2 decades in individuals with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes and whether this might be explained by changes in lifetime HbA1c. Materials and Methods: A multicentre, retrospective, observational study, comparing 128 subjects with diabetes onset in 2000-2003 assessed for retinopathy in 2016-2019, with a previous cohort of 115 individuals diagnosed in 1990-1993 and assessed for retinopathy in 2007-2009, was conducted. The two cohorts had both a similar diabetes duration and age at diagnosis. Retinal photographs were centrally graded. Lifetime HbA1c and its variability, estimated as the ratio between intrapersonal mean and standard deviation of HbA1c, were evaluated. Results: The prevalence of any retinopathy in the new and old cohort was 24.2% and 43.5% (P