[Correlation of diabetic retinopathy with systemic factors]

Among 468 patients of diabetes mellitus, 208 cases having complete records of biochemical and ocular examinations were studied by stepwise multivariate regression, with regard to the correlation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) to systemic factors and ocular perfusion pressure. The results showed that the onset and severity of DR were positively correlated to proteinuria, duration of the disease, fasting blood sugar, and ocular perfusion pressure, negatively correlated to blood triglycerides, but not correlated to sex, the type of diabetes, and smoking or alcoholic habits.