Abstract
Purpose: :
To describe the association of risk factors with cataract status and type specific lens opacity for a subgroup of patients age 80 years and older in the AREDS.
Methods: :
Lens status was based on an algorithm that uses the serial examinations in AREDS. Risk factors in 4 groups were considered: demographic, medical history, use of medications and ocular. Staged model–building with logistic regression was used to identify and assess significant risk factors for any cataract and separately for nuclear, cortical and PSC opacity among 1,604 AREDS participants age 80 years and older.
Results: :
The median age of participants with any cataract (N=1421) was 83 years versus 82 years for participants with absent cataract (N=183). While controlling for age in multivariable models, gender (male vs. female), previous vitamin usage, history of angina, and AMD status (intermediate drusen vs. no or small drusen) were associated with decreased risk of nuclear opacity, while smoking status (former vs. never) and history of diabetes were associated with an increased risk of nuclear opacity. Gender (male vs. female), higher education status (college graduate vs. high school graduate or less), and AMD status (intermediate drusen vs. no or small drusen) were associated with decreased risk of cortical opacity, while smoking status (former vs. never) and history of diabetes were associated with increased risk of cortical opacity. AMD status (intermediate or large drusen vs. no or small drusen) was associated with decreased risk of PSC while history of diabetes was associated with an increased risk of PSC.
Conclusions: :
Data from this large subset of persons age 80 and older, an age group with a very high prevalence of cataract, identified several demographic, medical history, vitamin use, and ocular factors that were associated with lens opacities.
Keywords: cataract • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • aging