Retinitis pigmentosa in Cuba

Abstract

A retrospective observational research was conducted during the period 1990-2010 in order to determine the prevalence of retinitis pigmentosa in the Cuban population. The universe consisted of the 5 209 patients with retinitis pigmentosa who were screened and diagnosed by multidisciplinary groups located in the 14 Provincial Retinitis Pigmentosa Centers in the country. Each patient had a general and ophthalmology medical history, according to standards established by the Ministry of Public Health. The information needed to comply with the objectives was obtained from the national registry of patients at the Camilo Cienfuegos International Center of Retinitis Pigmentosa. To analyse the data, the prevalence rates of retinitis pigmentosa per 10 000 inhabitants per year were calculated for each province and for the country. The prevalence rate of the disease in Cuba was analyzed, and its variations in the period from 1990 to 2010. The prevalence rate obtained in 1990 was 1.40 per 10 000 inhabitants. In 2010, the rate was of 4,61 x 10 000, increasing its initial value at 3.21, which represented a 228.5% increase. In the period 1994-2010, there were a total of 2544 new diagnoses, comparing the 2665 patients diagnosed in 1994, for a prevalence of the disease of 1 x 4082, with 5209 patients screened so far in the country, for a current prevalence of the disease in Cuba of 1 x 2164. Results like this support the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary approach and of the family study as a method for the screening and early diagnosis of hereditary and dystrophic diseases of the retina, facilitated by the existence of a national network of centers and the total coverage and accessibility the Cubans have guaranteed with our health care system.