Cataract and systemic comorbidities-A retrospective study

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence of major systemic co-morbidities such as diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, chronic kidney disease and ischaemic heart disease among patients undergoing cataract surgery and to determine the demographic details of these co-morbidities among the cohort of cataract patients. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of cataract surgery charts of those patients operated between Jan 2017 and Dec 2018 was undertaken. Assessment of age, gender, prevalence of above mentioned systemic comorbidities and their age wise frequency distribution among the cohort of cataract patients was done. Results: Among 2444 cataract charts analysed, 378 (15.47%) were found to have comorbidities. 88.6% of cataract patients with comorbidities were found to be between 50-75 years of age with a mean age of 63±8.997 years. 58.2% were females and 41.8% were males among the patients with comorbidities. Hypertension and diabetes were the highest contributors occurring in 78.1% of the comorbid patients with a mean age of 63 ± 8.2 years. Conclusion: An increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases even in rural population, necessitates a thorough screening before cataract surgery to ensure fitness of the patients for cataract surgery.