[Glaucoma diseases in Rhineland-Palatine 2010. Epidemiology and utilization of healthcare]

Data on the epidemiology of glaucoma are sparse for Germany. Case registries from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) can be used to estimate disease prevalence rates for different types of glaucoma and to illustrate the utilization of glaucoma healthcare.

Analysis of healthcare data for suspected glaucoma cases and open angle, angle closure, secondary and other types of glaucoma was carried on the basis of case registries from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Rhineland-Palatine for the year 2010. Glaucoma cases were registered quarterly according to the ICD-10 classification for different glaucoma types (H40.0-H40.9). For the purpose of calculating the prevalence data were adjusted to the population size and compared in different age strata.

The estimated prevalence of suspected glaucoma, open angle, angle closure, secondary and other types of glaucoma were 0.55%, 0.97%, 0.06%, 0.10% and 0.64%, respectively, with a higher prevalence in older age groups and women. Most glaucoma cases were diagnosed in the age group between 70 and 79 years and up to 15% of the population within this age group sought glaucoma care. In more than 50% of the glaucoma cases unspecific types of glaucoma diagnosis (suspected glaucoma /other glaucoma) were used.

The data from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians can provide information about the utilization of ophthalmic healthcare and allow estimation of the underlying glaucoma prevalence in the population. The data illustrate weaknesses in the practice of glaucoma diagnosis and indicate the lack of a widely accepted glaucoma definition.