Abstract

Background and Aims:
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant public health issue in Saudi Arabia. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the serious complications related to DM and considered an important cause of blindness. Understanding of the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with DR is important to inform effective management strategies. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of DR among newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients in Al-Qassim University Hospital.

Methods:
This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Qassim University Hospital, Saudi Arabia, from July to September 2024. The study included all newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients with complete medical records in the diabetes clinics. Demographic data and clinical parameters were collected.

Results:
The study included 77 patients, with a mean age of 51 years (SD = 13.03) and a mean diabetes duration of 15.6 months (SD = 8.22). Diabetic retinopathy was present in 7.8% of patients, while neuropathy and nephropathy had very low prevalence rates of 3.9% and 2.6%, respectively. No statistically significant associations were observed between demographic or clinical factors and the prevalence of retinopathy (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
This study revealed low rates of diabetic complications among the sample, possibly due to the short duration of diabetes in most patients. The lack of significant associations between complications and factors like HbA1c or blood pressure underscores the complexity of diabetic complications and suggests that long-term studies are needed to capture these relationships fully.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Retinopathy, Glycemic control, Saudi Arabia