Abstract
Purpose :
Fuchs dystrophy is a genetic condition associated with formation of guttae, excresences of Descemet membrane, and corneal edema. Extraocular characteristics recently identified include hearing loss, raising the question of additional systemic effects of disease. We sought to investigate an association of Fuchs dystrophy with weight.
Methods :
We reviewed all visits to a tertiary care institution for cataract evaluation within a four-year period for two indicators of weight: BMI equal to or greater than 30, based on measured height and weight, and clinical diagnosis of obesity. We utilized chi-squared analysis to detect an association with diagnosis of Fuchs Dystrophy. To avoid age and sex as confounding variables, the search was limited to patients from 60-70 years of age, and further stratified by sex.
Results :
A total of 49,976 patients 60-70 years of age presented for cataract evaluation during this time period. Vital signs were measured in 31,278 patients in this cohort, of which BMI>30 was present in 41.2% of patients with Fuchs dystrophy and 48.8% of unaffected patients (χ2 = 13.14, p<0.001). A significant association remained when assessed among women alone (p<0.01). Similarly, a clinical diagnosis of obesity was less frequently noted in patients with Fuchs dystrophy (8.8% vs. 14.6%, χ2 = 28.98, p<0.001).
Conclusions :
In a tertiary care center in the United States, we identified an inverse association between Fuchs dystrophy and increased weight. These findings highlight the importance of considering the extraocular phenotypes of Fuchs dystrophy.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.