Hypertension is the Prominent Risk Factor in Cataract Patients

Abstract

Background and objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the most prominent cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in patients undergoing cataract surgery. Materials and Methods: The study included 812 consecutive patients undergoing unilateral, uneventful cataract surgery by means of phacoemulsification, at the 2nd Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, during a calendar year. Patients were assessed for the type of cataract and the presence of three diseases, under pharmacological treatment, that have been reported as risk factors for the development of cataract (arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia). Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the types of cataract and individual risk factors (p < 0.001). Hypertension was the most frequentrisk factor, ranging from 43.8% in patients with subcapsular cataracts, 24.3% in patients with nuclear cataracts, 28.6% in patients with cortical cataracts, and 27.6% in patients with mixed type cataracts. There was a statistically significant difference as to the total number of risk factors per cataract type (p < 0.001); almost all patients with subcapsular cataracts had at least one risk factor (98.4%) while this percentage was 90.5% for patients with mixed cataracts, 85.7% for patients with cortical cataracts, and78.6% for patients with nuclear cataracts. Conclusions: Diabetes mellitus did not have a large incidence in our sample as a single risk factor, while hypertension did. This finding raises the importance of early detection of hypertension, a cardiovascular condition that typically progresses undetected for a number of years.

Impact of Urbanization and Sunlight Exposure on Cataract Incidence

“…[7] According to a study that included 812 consecutive patients undergoing unilateral, uneventful cataract surgery in Greece from 2018 to 2019, hypertension is the prominent risk factor in cataract patients. [8] Several studies have indicated that cataract formation occurs at an earlier age and more often in diabetic patients than in nondiabetic patients. For example, some studies have demonstrated that cataracts are three to four times more prevalent in patients with diabetes under the age of 65 [9][10][11][12].…”

The Multi-Elemental Composition of the Aqueous Humor of Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery, Suffering from Coexisting Diabetes, Hypertension, or Diabetic Retinopathy

“…This finding, however, requires more evidence and the enrollment of smoking patients in the study. Arterial hypertension is one of the other possible contributors to the etiopathology of cataracts, especially the posterior subcapsular subtype [50,51]. In the present study, we Arterial hypertension is one of the other possible contributors to the etiopathology of cataracts, especially the posterior subcapsular subtype [50,51].…”

“…Arterial hypertension is one of the other possible contributors to the etiopathology of cataracts, especially the posterior subcapsular subtype [50,51]. In the present study, we Arterial hypertension is one of the other possible contributors to the etiopathology of cataracts, especially the posterior subcapsular subtype [50,51]. In the present study, we observed significantly higher levels of tin (Sn) and ruthen (Ru), while titanium (Ti) levels (mean: 0.096 ppm, vs. 0.152 ppm for studied and control group, respectively, p = 0.045) were reduced in the AH of patients diagnosed with hypertension when compared with patients without this disorder (Figure 6).…”

Age-Related Changes of the Human Crystalline Lens on High-Spatial Resolution Three-Dimensional T1-Weighted Brain Magnetic Resonance Images In Vivo

“… 35 , 37 , 38 The finding that diabetes mellitus is associated with an increase in lens thickness is also consistent to reports of diabetes mellitus being associated with higher rates of cataract. 39 In addition to diabetes mellitus, hypertension is not only an important risk factor for cataract formation, 40 , 41 but also may even aggravate the negative impact of diabetes mellitus on cataract progression. 42 A study by Lee et al 43 reported that hypertension exacerbate cataract formation by modifying protein secondary structures in the lens capsule, thereby causing alteration of membrane transport and permeability for ions.…”