Purpose:
To investigate socio-demographic and health-related risk factors for Open Angle Glaucoma (OAG) in South Korea.
Methods:
Randomly selected subjects 19 years and older who represent the whole South Korean population (n=10,405) participated in the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV), a nation-wide cross-sectional survey and examination of the non-institutionalized civilian population in South Korea. A field survey team including an ophthalmologist performed interviews and examinations including intraocular pressure, fundus photography, and visual field test. Glaucomatous damage was defined according to the modified International Society of Geographical and Epidemiologic Ophthalmology Criteria. We used a two-step, multi-dimensional approach to identify the risk factors for OAG by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Results:
The prevalence of OAG in participants over 19 years of age was 4.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.5-4.5]. In multivariate analysis, increasing age[1.0 reference (ref) in 19-29 years, adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR), 1.70, P=0.04 in subjects aged 30-39 years, aOR, 1.62; P=0.04 in subjects aged 40-49 years, aOR, 2.65; P<0.01 in subjects aged 50-59 years, aOR, 5.33; P<0.01 in subjects aged 60-69 years, and aOR, 5.25; P<0.01 in subjects aged 70 or older], high myopia ( < -5.0 diopters; aOR, 2.60; P<0.01), and high blood pressure (aOR, 1.87; P<0.01) were associated with higher odds for OAG. Female sex (aOR, 0.71; P<0.01) was associated with lower odds for OAG.
Conclusions:
The risk of having OAG in Korean population increased with older age, male sex, high myopia, and high blood pressure. These findings may be profitable in early glaucoma detection and in identifying high risk groups in OAG patients.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment