Published in:
01-02-2021 | Knee Osteoarthritis | Original Article
Diseases associated with age-related cataract: a health-board-based retrospective study focusing on common physiopathological mechanisms
Published in: Journal of Public Health | Issue 1/2021
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Aim
The aim of this study was to investigate diseases associated with age-related cataract in the geriatric population considering possible common physiopathological mechanisms.
Subjects and methods
The study included patients with diagnosis of age-related cataract who attended a hospital health board between February 2016 and November 2018. The records of 2563 patients were retrospectively evaluated in terms of the presence of age-related cataract. The records of patients with age-related cataract were retrospectively examined for additional diseases.
Results
A total of 357 patients with age-related cataract were included in the study (mean age = 71.1 ± 5.2 years). Two or more additional diseases were detected in 142 patients (39.7%). Patients with additional diseases suffered from musculoskeletal (n = 234, 65.5%), cardiovascular (n = 220, 61.6%), ear, nose, and throat (n = 80, 22.4%), internal medicine (n = 57, 15.9%), and neurological disorders (n = 51, 14.2%). The most frequently determined diseases were gonarthrosis (36.9%), hypertension (26.8%), hearing loss (20.4%), spondyloarthrosis (17.6%), heart valve disease (15.6%), and diabetes mellitus (11.4%).
Conclusions
Patients with age-related cataract have various comorbidities. This may be caused by the aging process but may not always be a normal part of aging. Thus, diseases among elderly individuals should not be considered in isolation. Studies focusing on common physiopathological mechanisms may be helpful to understand the development of comorbidities.