Continued Reduction in the Prevalence of Retinopathy in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in microvascular complications in adolescents with type 1 diabetes between 1990 and 2009 in Sydney, Australia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used analysis of complications in 1,604 adolescents (54% female, aged 12-20 years, median duration 8.6 years), stratified by four time periods using Generalized Estimation Equations as follows: T1 (1990-1994), T2 (1995-1999), T3 (2000-2004), and T4 (2005-2009). Early retinopathy was detected using seven-field fundal photography, albumin excretion rate (AER) using timed overnight urine collections, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) and peripheral nerve function using thermal and vibration threshold. RESULTS: Retinopathy declined (53, 38, 23, and 12%; P < 0.001), as did borderline elevation of AER/ACR (45, 30, 26, and 30%; P < 0.001) and microalbuminuria (8, 4, 3, and 3%; P = 0.006). Multiple daily injections (MDI)/continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) use increased (17, 54, 75, and 88%; P < 0.001), median HbA(1c) decreased (9.1, 8.9, 8.5, and 8.5%; P < 0.001), and severe hypoglycemia was unchanged (6, 8, 10, and 7%; P = 0.272). Retinopathy was associated with diabetes duration (odds ratio OR 1.12 95% CI 1.08-1.17), age (1.13 1.06-1.20), HbA(1c) (1.16 1.08-1.25), systolic blood pressure (BP) SDS (1.31 1.16-1.48), socioeconomic disadvantage (1.42 1.04-1.95), and 1 to 2 injections per day (vs. MDI/CSII; 1.35 1.05-1.73); borderline AER/ACR with male sex (1.32 1.02-1.70), age (1.19 1.12-1.26), HbA(1c) (1.18 1.08-1.29), weight SDS (1.31 1.21-1.53), insulin dose per kilograms (1.64 1.13-2.39), 1 to 2 injections per day (1.41 1.08-1.84), and socioeconomic disadvantage (1.68 1.23-2.31); and microalbuminuria with age (1.14 1.01-1.29), HbA(1c) (1.20 1.05-1.37), diastolic BP SDS (1.76 1.26-2.46), and 1 to 2 injections per day (1.95 1.11-3.41). CONCLUSIONS: The decline in retinopathy supports contemporary guidelines that recommend lower glycemic targets and use of MDI/CSII in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.