Baseline characteristics of the patients at the start of the study (n=150)
| Parameter | DR not developed (n=95) | DR developed (n=55) |
| Age (years) | 31.9±11.8 | 31±11.2 |
| Sex (%) (males:females) | 47.4/52.6 | 49.1/50.9 |
| Age at onset (years) | 22.3±10.5 | 15.7±11.5 |
| Duration of T1DM (years) | 9.7±7.2 | 15.4±9.5 |
| HbA1c (%) | 7.6±1.3 | 7.8±1.1 |
| HbA1c >7% (%) | 63.2 | 78.2 |
| Hypertension (%) | 15.8 | 14.5 |
| Dyslipidemia (%) | 13.7 | 21.8 |
| Diabetic nephropathy (%) | 6.3 | 7.3 |
| Smoking habit (%) | 25.3 | 23.6 |
| Deprivation index (level 1), n (%) | 42 (44.2) | 17 (30.9) |
| Deprivation index (level 2), n (%) | 34 (27.8) | 19 (34.5) |
| Deprivation index (level 3), n (%) | 6 (6.3) | 9 (16.4) |
| Deprivation index (level 4), n (%) | 11 (11.6) | 6 (10.9) |
| Deprivation index (level 5), n (%) | 2 (2.1) | 4 (7.3) |
DR, diabetic retinopathy; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; T1DM, type 1 diabetes mellitus.