Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Jimma University Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy accounts for 5% of global blindness and the incidence of diabetic blindness is increasing. Although the epidemiology of diabetic retinopathy has been well described in Western populations, there remains a paucity of prevalence data in many developing countries such as Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, pattern and associated risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: A cross sectional hospital based study was done on a total of sampled 324 diabetic patients attending medical diabetic clinic at Jimma University Hospital from February to March 2009. Eye examination for diabetic retinopathy was carried out using slit lamp biomicroscope and 90D Volk lens, and clinical grading of diabetic retinopathy was done using the Diabetic Retinopathy Study and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study guidelines. RESULTS: The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 41.4%. Of these, 2.2% of the cases had severe non-Proliferative diabetic retinopathy while about 6% of patients had clinically significant macular edema. Vision threatening diabetic retinopathy was found in 7.3% of patients. Only 14.5% of the patients had prior eye check. The mean duration of diabetes mellitus, mean fasting blood sugar, mean systolic blood pressure, and mean diastolic blood pressure were 6.26 years, 158.8 mg/dl, 124.6 mmHg and 77.65 mmHg respectively. There was a statistically significant association between diabetic retinopathy and duration of diabetes, fasting blood sugar, and systemic blood pressure (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was high, and only a small proportion of the study subjects had diabetic eye check up. There is a need for integration of the Medical Diabetic Clinic and Eye Clinic for preventive diabetic care, better referral system and coordinated diabetic screening program in the study setting.

Predictors of HIV/AIDS Related Ocular Manifestations among HIV/AIDS Patients in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background. Ocular manifestations in people living with HIV/AIDS are varied and affect almost all the structures of eye leading to visual impairment or blindness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the predictors of HIV related ocular manifestation among ART clinic clients. Methods. Institution based cross-sectional study was employed among ART clients at Felege Hiwot referral hospital, northwest Ethiopia. The study was conducted from 1 January 2013 to 30 January 2013. A total of 369 systematically and randomly selected clients were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and ophthalmologic clinical examination. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were computed to identify independent predictors of HIV related ocular manifestation. Results. Twenty-five percent (25.7%) of HIV patients had ocular manifestations. The three most frequent signs were Squamoid Conjuctival growth (26.9%), ophthalmic herpes zoster (22.1%), and Bacterial Conjuctivitis (17.2%). History of eye problem, CD4 count, and visual acuity of the eye were the predictors of HIV related ocular manifestation. Conclusion. In this study, a higher proportion of ocular manifestations were detected in HIV/AIDS patients. Visual acuity and CD4 counts were the independent predictors of ocular manifestations. This finding gives an insight for policy makers and concerned body to integrate ophthalmic examination in ART clinics to improve the health condition of HIV/ADIS patients.