Prevalence and associated factors of diabetic retinopathy in Latin American countries: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Objective To gather the available evidence in the literature on the prevalence and associated factors of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Latin America. Methods This scoping review was developed according to the PRISMA-ScR. Prevalence data were summarized by weighted mean, considering the type of DM and country. For the analysis of associated factors, meta-analyses were performed with the most homogeneous studies, and the ORs and their 95%CIs were calculated. Results Forty-two articles published between 2004 and 2020 were included in this study. The mean prevalence of DR ranged from 15.0% in Costa Rica to 32.7% in Brazil. Conclusion This variation may be related to the diagnostic method, age of the studied population, duration of disease, glycemic control, or other associated factors such as the presence of diabetic nephropathy or hypertension. This review discloses an important burden of DR in Latin America and highlights the need for further in-country studies.