Diabetic Eye Complications More Common in Blacks, Hispanics

FRIDAY, April 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanic and African American patients have a higher rate of diabetic eye complications than White patients, according to a study published online March 11 in Diabetes Epidemiology and Management.

Jieni Li, from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, and colleagues used data from 8,080 individuals with diabetic eye complications participating in the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (2009 to 2018) to compare the rate of diabetic eye complications across racial and ethnic groups.

The researchers found that among patients with diabetes, Hispanics (18.78 percent) and African Americans (18.18 percent) had higher rates of eye complications than Whites (12.71 percent). Even when adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables, Hispanics and African Americans were 1.63 and 1.61 times, respectively, more likely to have diabetic eye complications compared with Whites. African Americans also were 29 percent less likely to complete all of the American Diabetes Association-recommended processes of diabetes care versus White patients.

"Given the disparities in diabetic eye complications among minorities, health care providers and policymakers should promote interventions and education programs accordingly to prevent and reduce the development of eye complications," the authors write.

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