Hypertension and Diabetes Increase Risk for Cataract

Metabolic syndrome and its two key components, high blood pressure and diabetes, were associated with age-related cataract in a group of Malay adults in Singapore, according to the study authors.

2,794 adults aged 40-80 years in Singapore were retrospectively analyzed to examine the relationship between metabolic syndrome and its components, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure (BP), obesity, and dyslipidemia, with age-related cataract. Cataract prevalence increased with higher quartiles of blood glucose, systolic BP, and metabolic syndrome components (P<.0001).

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Of the individual metabolic syndrome components:

High BP was associated with all three cataract types.

Diabetes was associated with cortical and posterior subcapsular cataracts.

Low HDL, high body mass index, and metabolic syndrome were associated with cortical cataract.

The three main types of cataract are nuclear sclerosis (a usually slow changing generalized haze in the lens of the eye), posterior subcapsular cataract (an often rapidly developing cataract across the back of the lens), and cortical cataract (a clouding across the front of the lens). People may have one or more types of cataract affecting the lens at the same time.

The presence of both high BP and diabetes was associated with fourfold odds of having cataract.