Prevalence and Associated Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients at a Specialized Hospital in Asmara, Eritrea - A Cross-Sectional Study

Sep 29, 2026

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Prevalence and Associated Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients at a Specialized Hospital in Asmara, Eritrea - A Cross-Sectional Study examines diabetic retinopathy (DR) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending Halibet Referral Hospital. A cross-sectional sample of 309 patients was assessed with questionnaires, clinical records, and biochemical blood analysis, followed by ophthalmologic evaluation and logistic regression. DR prevalence reached 39.5%, and 17.6% had vision-threatening DR.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Study design and setting

Results

Conclusions

Wiley Journal of Diabetes Research Volume 2025, Article ID 5768546, 11 pages [https://doi.org/10.1155/jdr/5768546](https://doi.org/10.1155/jdr/5768546) Research Article Prevalence and Associated Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients at a Specialized Hospital in Asmara, Eritrea: A Cross-Sectional Study Oliver Okoth Achila , 1 Millen Ghebretinsae, 1 Abraham Kidane, 1 Michael Simon, 1 Shewit Makonen, 1 Yohannes Rezene, 1 Eyob Garoy, 1 Oluwafemi Adekunmi Ibrahim,2 Yonas Tesfagabr Abraham,3 Robel Habte,4 Habtemichael Mulugeta Teklemariam,5 and Samuel Tekle Mengistu 6 1Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Asmara College of Health Sciences (ACHS), Asmara, Eritrea 2Department of Ophthalmic Unit, Asmara College of Health Sciences (ACHS), Asmara, Eritrea 3Department of Internal Medicine, Orotta School of Medicine and Dentistry, Asmara, Eritrea 4Department of Community Medicine, Orotta School of Medicine and Dentistry, Asmara, Eritrea 5Department of Internal Medicine, Tessenay Hospital, Ministry of Health Gash Barka Branch, Tesseney, Eritrea 6Nakfa Hospital, Ministry of Health Northern Red Sea branch, Nakfa, Eritrea Correspondence should be addressed to Samuel Tekle Mengistu; [teklesam7@gmail.com](teklesam7@gmail.com) Received 14 August 2024; Revised 9 September 2025; Accepted 29 October 2025 Academic Editor: Hannah Wesley Copyright © 2025 Oliver Okoth Achila et al. Journal of Diabetes Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive microangiopathy aﬀecting the retinal microvasculature and is a leading cause of preventable blindness in adults globally. Despite its signiﬁcance, DR remains under-investigated in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of DR and its associated factors in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients attending a specialized hospital in Asmara, Eritrea. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 309 T2DM patients from the diabetes follow-up clinic at Halibet Referral Hospital, Asmara. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, clinical records, and biochemical analysis of blood samples. Ophthalmologic evaluation for DR was performed by eye specialists using ophthalmoscopy. Statistical analysis, including logistic regression, was performed to identify factors associated with DR. Results: The mean age of the participants was 57 8± 11 47 years, with an average disease duration of 12 14 ± 7 42 years. The prevalence of DR was 39.5%(95% CI: 34.03–44.9) . Among these, 17.6%(95% CI: 11–25.1) had vision-threatening DR. Factors signiﬁcantly associated with DR included reduced estimated glomerular ﬁltration rate (eGFR < 60mL/min/1 .73m2)(aOR = 1 84, 95% CI: 1.05–3.20; p =0 033), insulin use (aOR = 0 523, 95% CI: 0.295–0.93; p =0 039), and longer duration of diabetes (> 8 years) (aOR = 0 24, 95% CI: 0.006–0.935; p =0 040) . Other factors associated with DR in the adjusted model were abnormal waist circumference (aOR = 0 298, 95% CI: 0.11–0.83; p =0 021) and C-reactive protein positivity (aOR = 2 65, 95% CI: 1.05–6.66; p =0 039) . Conclusions: The prevalence of DR among T2DM patients in Eritrea is high. Longer disease duration, reduced eGFR, and insulin use were signiﬁcantly associated with DR. Early detection and management of these risk factors may help mitigate the burden of DR in diabetic patients. 2 Journal of Diabetes Research 1. Introduction ease (CVD) risk [12] . Finally, it can also be regarded as a surrogate measure of how well a healthcare system is per Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive microangiopathy forming with respect to the overall management of DM [7] . involving the retinal microvasculature and is o

FAQs

What was the study aim?

To determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and identify associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending a specialized hospital in Asmara, Eritrea.

How were DR cases assessed?

Ophthalmologic evaluation was performed by eye specialists using ophthalmoscopy, with data gathered from structured questionnaires, clinical records, and biochemical analysis of blood samples.

Which factors were significantly associated with diabetic retinopathy?

Reduced eGFR (<60 mL/min/1.73m²), insulin use, and longer diabetes duration (>8 years) were significantly associated with DR; additional adjusted-model associations included abnormal waist circumference and C-reactive protein positivity.

Sep 29, 2026

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