Self-management and metabolic control levels of patients with type 2 diabetes with and without retinopathy: A case-control study

Aim: This study was carried out to determine the effect of self-management and metabolic control level on the development of retinopathy by comparing the levels of self-management and metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes who develop and under develop retinopathy. Methods: This case-control study consisted of a total of 101 patients with retinopathy (n=50) and without retinopathy (n=51) who applied to the eye outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Data were collected by using the "Descriptive Questionnaire" and "Diabetes Self-Management Scale for persons with Type 2 Diabetes". Laboratory Tests, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) values of the patients were also measured. The data of the study were evaluated with Chi-Square analysis and logistic regression analysis, and the level of significance was determined as 0.05. Results: Majority of the participants (85.1%) were overweight or obese, 70.3% had HbA1C, 25.7% LDL, 44.6% Triglyceride, 10.9% total cholesterol, 23.8% systolic blood pressure, 22.8% His diastolic blood pressure was above normal. Type 2 diabetes self-management levels of the participants were found to be moderate both in sub-factors and in total. Only the HbA1c and health care utilization sub-factor scores of the participants with and without retinopathy showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). It was determined that high HbA1c value increased the probability of developing retinopathy in patients 1.71 times, and regular health care use decreased 0.91 times. Conclusion: As a result of this study, it was seen that keeping blood sugar under control and regular health check-ups were effective in the risk of retinopathy. At the end of these results, it notes that offices and other health professionals working with individuals with diabetes should be adequately informed about the importance of home blood sugar management and regular health check-ups. Keywords: Retinopathy, Type 2 diabetes, self-management, metabolic control, nurse