Association between diabetes and keratoconus: a case-control study.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Endocrinology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive thinning of the cornea, leading to visual impairment.
• The role of systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), in KC development is not fully understood.
• Understanding potential protective factors for KC is crucial for disease prevention and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of DM in patients with KC versus a control population.
• To investigate the association between DM and the risk of developing KC.
• To determine if DM offers a protective effect against corneal ectasia.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective case-control study involving 1383 KC patients and 1383 non-KC controls.
• Investigated the presence of type 1 or type 2 DM in all participants.
• Statistical analysis, including odds ratios, was used to assess the association.

Main Results:

• DM prevalence was lower in KC patients (0.8%) compared to controls (2.2%).
• DM demonstrated a significant protective effect against KC (OR = 0.350, P = 0.001).
• This protective effect was significant for type 2 DM (OR = 0.079, P < 0.001) but not type 1 DM (OR = 3.013, P = 0.073).

Conclusions:

• DM is associated with a statistically significant reduced risk of developing KC.
• The findings suggest DM may have a protective role against corneal ectasia.
• Epidemiological results align with the known biomechanical effects of cross-linking in corneal tissue.