Abstract

A prospective study was performed on 300 cases of diabetes mellitus, admitted to severance hospital over a period of 20 months from November 1981 to June 1983, and the followiing results were obtained. 1) Among 300 cases, the 6th decade of age was 38. 7% , 7 th decade 23. 6%, 5 th decade 23. 0% 8 th decade 11.3% 4th decade 5,7%, and less than 2nd decade 2. 7%. 2) Diabetic neuropathy was the most common among chronic complications (54. 6%). Prevalence of neuropathy progressively increased from a value of less than 40%, within 4 years of diabetes to more than 80% after 15 years of the disease. 3) Overall prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 42.6%. Prevalence of retinopathy increased with the duration of the disease, being 21, 6%, after zero to 4 years, 50% for 5 to 9 years and 100% for more than 20 years. 4.) Overall prevalence of neuropathy was 15.1%. Prevalence of nephropathy increased with the duation of the disease, being 3. 9% after zero to 4 years, 13. 3% for 5 to 9 years and 72.2% for 20 to 24 years. 5) Other comylications of diabetes mellitus were cataract (26.7%), hypertension (24.7%), infection (11.7% tuberculosis 7.0%), hyperosmolar nonke- totic coma (5.3%), gangrene (2,3%) and ketoa- cidosis (2.3"%)