Repositori URV

Identifier: TDX:1250

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX1250

Authors:
Montero Jaime, Manuel

Abstract:
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that has acquired the status of 'pandemic' in the XXI century. Currently about 366 million people worldwide suffer from this disease. According to the Health Survey of Catalonia (ESCA 2002) the estimated prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the population aged 30-69 years is 6.1% and in the range of population between 30-89 years can lead to exceed 10%. At the time of the diagnosis of type 2 DM, 5% of patients have retinopathy. This percentage increases to 40-50% after 10 years and 90%after 20 years. It is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. Numerous studies show the decline in the incidence of blindness by RD with early treatment. Therefore, the detection of the RD must be a priority. The color Doppler ultrasound is a noninvasive diagnostic method that allows the study of retrobulbar vessels. Among the parameters studied, the most reproducible is the index of resistance, which can be defined as the resistance to blood flow in the distal vascular bed to the point of insonation. Since in diabetes vascular involvement occurs, this diagnostic method would provide us information about the evolutionary status of diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, diabetic patients show great variability in the expression of vascular disease mainly dominated by diabetic macular edema and diabetic ischemic retinopathy. It has been suggested that these forms may have a genetic background. Our results allow us to differentiate between these two groups, since the hemodynamic alterations differ in the type of the retrobulbar vessel affected. Besides, correlation between hemodynamic and metabolic alterations exists, mainly the poor control of diabetes and LDL cholesterol and other risk factors, the main arterial hypertension. These