[Fundoscopic alterations and diabetic foot in patients of Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes/UFRN].

PURPOSE: To identify diabetic foot abnormal changes caused by microvascular events and fundoscopy eye lesions due to diabetic retinopathy.

METHODS: A survey was performed with 76 diabetic patients from the Hospital Onofre Lopes out-patient department of ophtalmology and vascular surgery. To evaluate the diabetic foot the patients were submitted to an individual interview using Fontaine classification. The vascular test used was Semmes-Weinstein monofilament. Refraction and eye fundoscopy were acomplished in all patients to arrange the diabetic retinopathy. The study results consisted in characterized the group as age,time of disease and glicose level. The second analyse was performed with association tests among the selected secondary study results. "Statística Versão 5,1997" was the software available.

RESULTS: From 76 diabetics patients 97% had age higher than 40 years. 65% had more than 10 years of time disease. 72.72% obtained glicose level > 100 mg/dl. 55.5% had some degree of diabetic retinopathy against 44.74% had not. About the diabetic foot abnormalities, 59.93% had ischemic damages and 41.07% had not signs. 58.82% had neuropathic foot and there were 41,18% patients without diabetic neuropathy signs. Talking about the diabetic retinopathy population, 78.,57% had ischemic foot and 47.62% had neuropathic foot. It was seen 80% of no proliferative diabetic retinopathy in all diabetics foot (isquemic and neuropathic). The patients with retinopathy 60.46% of them had foot biomechanics abnormalities.

CONCLUSION: Light no proliferative diabetic retinopathy was most common in patients with ischemic diabetic foot. The severe no proliferative diabetic retinopathy was most common in patients with neuropathic diabetic foot.