Association between forgone care and household income among the elderly in five Western European countries - analyses based on survey data from the SHARE-study.

Background: Studies on the association between access to health care and household income have rarely included an assessment of 'forgone care', but this indicator could add to our understanding of the inverse care law. We hypothesize that reporting forgone care is more prevalent in low income groups.

Methods: The study is based on the 'Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)', focusing on the non-institutionalized population aged 50 years or older.

Diabetic retinopathy and insulin therapy in a rural diabetic population.

The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was lower in a rural diabetic population when compared to the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in medical center clinic populations. Adult-onset (Type II) diabetics were at greater risk for developing diabetic retinopathy shortly after diagnosis than newly diagnosed cases of juvenile diabetes (Type I). The use of insulin positively correlated with the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in this rural population.