Prevalence of undiagnosed diabetic retinopathy among inpatients with diabetes at a tertiary care hospital in Jammu Region (Jammu and Kashmir), India

Background: One of the most devastating consequences of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy (DR), a condition that poses significant financial and health-care burdens on individuals, health-care systems, and the global economy. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of DR in the inpatient diabetic population in the tertiary care hospital of the Jammu region (Jammu and Kashmir). Methods: This cross-sectional study had men and women over 18 years admitted to Government Medical College, Jammu with type 1 or type 2 diabetes based on a previous physician diagnosis or hemoglobin A1C ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and were eligible to participate. The exclusion criteria included type 1 diabetes diagnosed within the past 5 years. In addition, data on secondary risk factors for retinopathy were collected, such as duration, hemoglobin A1C, and associated comorbidities. Results: Seventy-eight patients with a known diagnosis of diabetes mellitus were included in this study. The majority of the study participants, 56.4% (44/78) were male and were in the age group of 40–60 years. The majority, 57.7% (45/78) participants, were unaware that DR could affect their vision. The prevalence of proliferative DR and clinically significant macular edema was 3.8% (3/78 each). Conclusion: Our study suggests an increased prevalence of DR in the study population, which seems to be a concern.