Population-based assessment of visual impairment and pattern of corneal disease: results from the CORE (Corneal Opacity Rural Epidemiological) study

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (7) ◽  
pp. 994-998
Author(s):  
Ritika Mukhija ◽  
Noopur Gupta ◽  
Praveen Vashist ◽  
Radhika Tandon ◽  
Sanjeev K Gupta

ObjectiveTo characterise types of corneal diseases and resulting visual impairment (VI) in a rural North Indian population.DesignCross-sectional, population-based study.MethodsThe Corneal Opacity Rural Epidemiological study included 12 899 participants from 25 random clusters of rural Gurgaon, Haryana, India to determine the prevalence of the corneal disease in the general population. Sociodemographic details, presence and type of corneal morbidity, laterality, VI (presenting visual acuity (PVA) <6/18 in the better eye) and characteristics of corneal opacities were noted.ResultsOverall, 12 113 participants of all ages underwent detailed ophthalmic examination and prevalence of corneal opacity was found to be 3.7% (n=452) with bilateral involvement in 140 participants (31%) during the house-to-house visits. Of the total 571 eyes of 435 patients presenting with corneal opacity at the central clinic, PVA was <3/60 in 166 (29.1%), 3/60 to <6/60 in 14 (2.5%), 6/60 to <6/18 in 164 (28.7%), 6/18 to ≤6/12 in 85 (14.9%) and 6/9 to 6/6 in 142 eyes (24.9%), respectively. Further, there were a total of 115 eyes (20.1%) with nebular corneal opacity, 263 (46.1%) with macular, 162 (28.4%) with leucomatous and 31 (5.4%) with an adherent leucoma. The odds of having VI due to corneal disease were greater for the illiterate (OR:4.26; 95% CI: 2.88 to 6.31; p<0.001) and elderly (OR:11.05; 95% CI: 7.76 to 15.74; p<0.001).ConclusionThe data from this study give an insight into the characteristics of various corneal pathologies and resulting VI in the general population. This is a pioneer study involving all age groups on the burden of VI due to corneal diseases.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e031337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danba Jiachu ◽  
Ling Jin ◽  
Feng Jiang ◽  
Li Luo ◽  
Hong Zheng ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of visual impairment (VI) and blindness (BL) due to cataract and cataract surgical outcomes in remote dispersed and high-altitude Tibetan areas of China.Design and settingA cross-sectional study was conducted among people aged 50 and above in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Kandze (TAPK), China, in 2017. The Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness protocol was followed.ParticipantsOf 5000 eligible participants, 4764 were examined (response rate 95.3%).Primary and secondary outcome measuresCataract VI was defined as lens opacity at visual acuity (VA) levels of <3/60 (Blindness (BL)), ≥3/60 and <6/60 (severe visual impairment (SVI)), ≥6/60 and <6/18 (moderate visual impairment (MVI)), ≥6/18 and <6/12 (early visual impairment (EVI)).ResultsThe estimated prevalence of cataract BL was 0.61% (95% CI 0.42 to 0.87). With best corrected VA, the estimated prevalence of SVI from cataract was 0.86% (95% CI 0.63 to 1.17); MVI was 2.39% (95% CI 2.00 to 2.87) and EVI was 5.21% (95% CI 4.61 to 5.87). Women in TAPK had a significantly higher prevalence of cataract BL (0.82%, 95% CI 0.54 to 2.15) than men (0.34%, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.70). Women had lower cataract surgical coverage (CSC) by eyes (60.8%, 95% CI 55.5 to 65.8) compared with men (70.1%; 95% CI 63.7 to 75.7). The prevalence of cataract BL was higher among Tibetan (2.28%; 95% CI 1.98 to 2.62) than Han Chinese (1.01%%; 95% CI 0.54% to 1.87%). Overall CSC by person with BL (by better eye) was 82.0% (95% CI 75.2 to 87.6). Among cataract-operated participants, 71.2% had VA equal to or better than 6/18.ConclusionsThe study detected a low prevalence of VI and BL due to cataract with high CSC in the study area compared with many other places in China. Further actions should be taken to improve cataract surgical outcome.


2009 ◽  
Vol 212 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Kütting ◽  
Thomas Göen ◽  
Ursula Schwegler ◽  
Hermann Fromme ◽  
Wolfgang Uter ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1069.1-1069
Author(s):  
L. Barra ◽  
J. Pope ◽  
P. Pequeno ◽  
J. Gatley ◽  
J. Widdifield

Background:Individuals with giant cell arteritis (GCA) are at increased risk of serious morbidity including cardiovascular disease and stroke. Yet the risk of mortality among individuals with GCA have produced conflicting reports1.Objectives:Our aim was to evaluate excess all-cause mortality among individuals with GCA relative to the general population over time.Methods:We performed a population-based study in Ontario, Canada, using health administrative data among all individuals 50 years and older. Individuals with GCA were identified using a validated case definition (81% PPV, 100% specificity). All Ontario residents aged 50 and above who do not have GCA served as the General Population comparators. Deaths occurring in each cohort each year were ascertained from vital statistics. Annual crude and age/sex standardized all-cause mortality rates were determined for individuals with and without GCA between 2000 and 2018. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated to measure relative excess mortality over time. Differences in mortality between sexes and ages were also evaluated.Results:Population denominators among individuals 50 years and older with GCA and the General Population increased over time with 12,792 GCA patients and 5,456,966 comparators by 2018. Annual standardized mortality rates among the comparators steadily declined over time and were significantly lower than GCA morality rates (Figure). Annual GCA mortality rates fluctuated between 42-61 deaths per 1000 population (with overlapping confidence intervals) during the same time period. SMRs for GCA ranged from 1.28 (95% CI 1.08,1.47) at the lowest in 2002 to 1.96 (95% CI 1.84, 2.07) at the highest in 2018. GCA mortality rates and SMRs were highest among males and younger age groups.Conclusion:Over a 19-year period, mortality has remained increased among GCA patients relative to the general population. GCA mortality rates were higher among males and more premature deaths were occurring at younger age groups. In our study, improvements to the relative excess mortality for GCA patients over time (mortality gap) did not occur. Understanding cause-specific mortality and other factors are necessary to inform contributors to premature mortality among GCA patients.References:[1]Hill CL, et al. Risk of mortality in patients with giant cell arteritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2017;46(4):513-9.Figure.Acknowledgments: :This study was supported by a CIORA grantDisclosure of Interests:Lillian Barra: None declared, Janet Pope Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly & Company, Merck, Roche, Seattle Genetics, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Actelion, Amgen, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eicos Sciences, Eli Lilly & Company, Emerald, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi, UCB, Speakers bureau: UCB, Priscila Pequeno: None declared, Jodi Gatley: None declared, Jessica Widdifield: None declared


2015 ◽  
Vol 172 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla A M Glad ◽  
Lena M S Carlsson ◽  
Olle Melander ◽  
Peter Almgren ◽  
Lars Sjöström ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that the GH receptor (GHR) exon 3 deleted (d3)/full-length (fl) polymorphism influences anthropometry and body composition in the general population.Design and settingThe Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) reference study is a cross-sectional population-based study, randomly selected from a population registry. A subgroup of the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer study (MDC-CC) was used as a replication cohort.MethodsThe SOS reference study comprises 1135 subjects (46.2% men), with an average age of 49.5 years. The MDC-CC includes 5451 successfully genotyped subjects (41.5% men), with an average age of 57.5 years. GHR d3/fl genotypes were determined using TagSNP rs6873545. Linear regression analyses were used to test for genotype–phenotype associations.ResultsIn the SOS reference study, subjects homozygous for the d3-GHR weighed ∼4 kg more (P=0.011), and had larger waist-to-hip ratio (WHR, P=0.036), larger waist circumference (P=0.016), and more fat-free mass estimated from total body potassium (P=0.026) than grouped fl/d3 and fl/fl subjects (d3-recessive genetic model). The association with WHR was replicated in the MDC-CC (P=0.002), but not those with other anthropometric traits.ConclusionsIn this population-based study, the GHR d3/fl polymorphism was found to be of functional relevance and associated with central adiposity, such that subjects homozygous for the d3-GHR showed an increased abdominal obesity.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Pohjola ◽  
Joni V Lindbohm ◽  
Elias Oulasvirta ◽  
Ahmad Hafez ◽  
Päivi Koroknay-Pál ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Research on the prevalence of smokers in patients with brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) remains nonexistent, even though smoking is a well-known risk factor for intracranial aneurysms. OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence and smoking habits of AVM patients. METHODS Data on smoking habits were collected with a quality-of-life questionnaire mailed in 2016 to all patients in our large AVM database. These smoking data were supplemented with registry data derived from medical records. The prevalence of smokers was compared to that of the general population, derived from statistics of National Institute for Health and Welfare. Logit transformation of proportions and Students t distribution were used to calculate the 95% CIs for prevalence estimates. RESULTS Of the 384 patients aged over 18 yr on admission, 277 (72.1%) returned the questionnaires in 2016. When compared to age, sex, and admission year matched general population, the proportion of smokers in AVM patients was 48% (CI = 41%-55%) and 19% (CI = 16%-21%) in the general population. The difference increased in older age groups; in those aged 65 to 77 yr, the percentage of smokers reached 73% (CI = 46%-90%), while the corresponding percentage in the general population was 7% (CI = 5%-9%). CONCLUSION We observed considerably higher rates of smoking among AVM patients when compared to age, sex, and admission year matched general population. Our results suggest that in the development of AVMs, the role played by nicotine and other substances in tobacco smoke should be examined. Cigarette smoking could potentially be a common cerebrovascular risk factor.


2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (8) ◽  
pp. 1112-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siofra Christine Harrington ◽  
Jim Stack ◽  
Kathryn Saunders ◽  
Veronica O’Dwyer

AimTo report refractive error prevalence and visual impairment in Republic of Ireland (henceforth 'Ireland') schoolchildren.MethodsThe Ireland Eye Study examined 1626 participants (881 boys, 745 girls) in two age groups, 6–7 years (728) and 12–13 years (898), in Ireland between June 2016 and January 2018. Participating schools were selected by stratified random sampling, representing a mix of school type (primary/postprimary), location (urban/rural) and socioeconomic status (disadvantaged/advantaged). Examination included monocular logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) presenting visual acuity (with spectacles if worn) and cycloplegic autorefraction (1% Cyclopentolate Hydrochloride). Parents completed a questionnaire to ascertain participants’ lifestyle.ResultsThe prevalence of myopia (spherical equivalent refraction (SER): ≤−0.50 D), hyperopia (SER: ≥+2.00 D) and astigmatism (≤−1.00 DC) among participants aged 6–7 years old was 3.3%, 25% and 19.2%, respectively, and among participants aged 12–13 years old was 19.9%, 8.9% and 15.9%, respectively. Astigmatic axes were predominately with-the-rule. The prevalence of ‘better eye’ presenting visual impairment (≥0.3 logMAR, with spectacles, if worn) was 3.7% among younger and 3.4% among older participants. Participants in minority groups (Traveller and non-white) were significantly more likely to present with presenting visual impairment in the ‘better eye’.ConclusionsThe Ireland Eye Study is the first population-based study to report on refractive error prevalence and visual impairment in Ireland. Myopia prevalence is similar to comparable studies of white European children, but the levels of presenting visual impairment are markedly higher than those reported for children living in Northern Ireland, suggesting barriers exist in accessing eye care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mujeeb Ur Rehman Parrey ◽  
Ekramy Elmorsy

Background & Objectives: Refractive Errors (RE) are responsible for major portion of the treatable visual impairment and avoidable blindness in the world. The prevalence of RE varies with age, gender, ethnicity, geographical locations and also from time to time due to progresse in eye care services. We aimed to study the prevalence of RE and assess their patterns among Saudi adults of Arar city, the capital of Northern Border Region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, population-based study. A total number of 966 Saudi adults aged 16 to 39 years were enrolled. The patterns of their RE were studied through auto-refraction evaluation. Results: The prevalence of RE was 45.8%. The most frequent type of RE was myopia in 24.4%, followed by hyperopia 11.9% and astigmatism in 9.5% cases. Ages and genders significantly affect the prevalence of the different patterns of RE (0.033 and 0.012, respectively). Conclusion: The prevalence of RE in Arar city is slightly lower than that previously published in the same targeted age group. Myopia is the main RE. More awareness programs, especially among young adults are recommended for better outcomes. Abbreviations: RE: Refractive Error, SE: Spherical Equivalent, VA: Visual Acuity, VI: Visual Impairment. How to cite this:Parrey MUR, Elmorsy E. Prevalence and pattern of refractive errors among Saudi adults. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):---------.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.648 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pragya Sharma ◽  
Saurav Basu ◽  
Suruchi Mishra ◽  
Ekta Gupta ◽  
Reshu Aggarwal ◽  
...  

Background We conducted a repeat serosurvey in Delhi, India to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population and compare the antibody prevalence in the vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted from September 24 to October 14 2021 in 280 wards of Delhi among 27811 participants selected through a multistage sampling technique with housing settlement based stratification. The SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies were screened with the VITROS (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Raritan, NJ, USA) assay (90% sensitivity, 100% specificity). Results A total of 24895 (89.5%) samples were seropositive. The crude seroprevalence was 87.99% (95% CI 89.1, 89.8), weighted for age and sex was 88% (95% CI 87.6, 88.4), and after adjustment of assay performance was estimated as 97.5% (95% CI 97.0, 98.0). The weighted seroprevalence in the 11 districts ranged from 84.9% (South-West district) to 90.8% (East district) Females in all the age-groups (<18, 18-49 and ≥50) had significantly higher odds of seropositivity (p<0.001). On adjusted analysis, the odds of seroconversion in the participants vaccinated with at-least one dose of either Covid-19 vaccine (Covishield/Covaxin) was more than four times compared to the unvaccinated (aRR 4.2 (3.8, 4.6)). The seroprevalence was also comparable among the complete and partially vaccinated subgroups for both vaccines (Table 4). Most (86.8%) seropositive individuals had a SARS-CoV-2 signal/cut-off ≥4.0 except in children Conclusions We observed IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in most of the general population of Delhi with likely higher antibody titers in the vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated groups.


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