Plasma fibrinogen and other cardiovascular disease risk factors and cataract

To determine whether associations exist between cataract and established cardiovascular risk factors (other than smoking) - hypertension, body mass index, serum lipids and plasma fibrinogen.

The Blue Mountains Eye Study is a large (n=3654) population-based cross-sectional study conducted among people aged 49-97 years residing in the Blue Mountains, a region west of Sydney, Australia. Risk factor data were collected using standardised clinical procedures. Lens photographs were taken and graded for presence and severity of cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataracts.

Cortical cataract was associated with a history of myocardial infarction, higher plasma fibrinogen, and higher serum cholesterol. Nuclear cataract was associated with a higher platelet count but hypertension was associated with lower prevalence of nuclear cataract. Posterior subcapsular cataract was associated with higher plasma fibrinogen and lower body mass index. Some of these associations appeared to be stronger in women than in men: fibrinogen and cortical cataract and body mass index and posterior subcapsular cataract.

Several risk factors for cardiovascular disease are associated with presence of cataract, perhaps explaining the observation in several studies that people with cataract have increased mortality rates. The possibility of strong associations between plasma fibrinogen and cataract merits further epidemiological and laboratory research.