Prevalence of diabetic micro vascular complications at a tertiary care unit of Karachi, Pakistan

To determine the prevalence of microvascular complications and associated risk factors among subjects with type 2 diabetes reported at a tertiary care unit of Karachi, Pakistan. This retrospective observational study was carried out in the outpatient department of Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), a tertiary care diabetes center of Karachi from January 2005 to April 2016. Data records of patients with type 2 diabetes at presentation were analyzed. Selected data was extracted from Health Management System (HMS) including basic demographics, anthropometric measurements, biochemical results, medical information, and microvascular complications results. Data analysis was performed on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Overall, prevalence of at least one microvascular complication was 56.9%, retinopathy 15.8%, nephropathy 31.0%, and neuropathy 48.7% were noted. Male gender, age ≥ 40 years, duration of diabetes > 10 years, obesity, hypertension, HbA1c > 7%, and low HDL were found to be significant risk factors for microvascular complication. Hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia were significantly associated with nephropathy and neuropathy, whereas no significant association of high LDL was found with any complication. High prevalence of microvascular complications was observed among type 2 diabetic subjects visited first time at a tertiary care hospital. Early identification and effective management are required at primary and secondary care levels to combat this situation.