Articles about Eye Health and Disease 2003
 

Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts are Associated with Elevated Triglyceride Levels in Men

(From Hiller R, Sperduto RD, Reed GF, et al. Serum lipids and age-related lens opacities: A longitudinal investigation. Ophthalmol 2003;110:578-83.)

Elevated triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia), a risk factor potentially modifiable through diet or medication, is associated with the development of posterior subcapsular cataract in men, according to a recent case-control study of surviving members of the Framingham Offspring Heart Study cohort from 1989 to 1991. Posterior subcapsular cataract can develop rapidly on the back surface of the lens of the eye, causing significant visual decline and glare symptoms. It is treatable only through cataract extraction.

Researchers aimed to investigate whether serum lipid/lipoprotein levels are independent risk factors for nuclear, cortical, or posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataracts. They examined the eyes of surviving Framingham Offspring Heart Study participants to determine cataract status. They used data from the original study, including fasting serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride measurements collected first in 1971, again approximately 8 years later and approximately every 4 years thereafter. With these, they examined associations between lipid levels (mean levels across examinations and slope of measurements over time) and the presence of specific cataract types. The multi-stage analyses included 1,869 persons aged 45 years and older. The average age of participants was 55 years; 49 percent were males. A standardized grading system was used to grade cortical, nuclear, and PSC cataracts.

In statistical analysis adjusted for potential confounding factors, fasting hypertriglyceridemia (>/= 250 mg/dl) was associated with an increased risk of PSC cataract in men.

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