Table 2. Baseline characteristics of the study participants.
BMI: body mass index; DM: diabetes mellitus; HbA1c: glycated hemoglobin; N: number
| Risk factors | Category | n (%) |
| Gender | Male | 187 (50.8) |
| Female | 181 (49.2) | |
| BMI | <18.5 (underweight) | 2 (0.5) |
| 18.5-24.9 (normal) | 47 (12.8) | |
| 25-29.9 (overweight) | 139 (37.8) | |
| 30-39.9 (obese) | 136 (37) | |
| 40 and above (morbidly obese) | 26 (7.1) | |
| Unknown | 18 (4.9) | |
| Nationality | Local | 306 (83.2) |
| Non-local | 62 (16.8) | |
| Smoking status | Smoker | 116 (31.5) |
| Non-smoker | 220 (59.8) | |
| Unknown | 32 (8.7) | |
| DM medications | Mono | 29 (7.9) |
| Dual | 70 (19) | |
| Poly | 259 (70.4) | |
| Unknown | 10 (2.7) | |
| Hemoglobin level, mg/dL (males) | Normal | 121 (64.7) |
| Mild anemia | 49 (26.2) | |
| Moderate anemia | 16 (8.6) | |
| Severe anemia | 1 (0.5) | |
| Hemoglobin level, mg/dL (females) | Normal | 102 (56.4) |
| Mild anemia | 42 (23.2) | |
| Moderate anemia | 37 (20.4) | |
| Severe anemia | 0 (0) | |
| Diabetic retinopathy grading | Mild | 62 (16.8) |
| Moderate | 111 (30.2) | |
| Severe | 49 (13.3) | |
| Proliferative | 146 (39.7) | |
| Macular edema | Present | 218 (59.2) |
| Absent | 150 (40.8) | |
| HbA1c | Less than 7.5 | 155 (42.1) |
| 7.5-10 | 162 (44) | |
| 10 and more | 51 (13.9) |