[Association between meibomian gland dysfunction and body mass index in Chinese adults]

Objective: To evaluate the association of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and body mass index (BMI) in Chinese adults. Methods: A total of 2 419 patients were retrospectively recruited between May and October 2013 from 33 ocular surface disease clinic in China. There were 780 males (32.2%) and 1 639 females (67.8%), aged 18-89 (46±16) years. BMI value of each patient was respectively calculated, and the patients were divided into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity groups accordingly. Meibomian gland-related examinations were performed in right eyes. Results: The number of the patients in four groups were 196, 1 556, 567 and 100, respectively. Compared with normal weight group, the rates of moderate to severe MGD (59.1%, 71.0% vs 49.9%) in overweight group and obesity group were higher, and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0.05). The scores of change in eyelid margin, meibomian gland dropout and meibum expressibility were significantly higher in overweight group and obesity group, compared with normal weight group (all P<0.05). Additionally, after stratified by age, all the above-mentioned three scores of obese patients were significantly higher than those of non-obese patients in young adult group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that moderate to severe MGD was correlated with overweight (OR=2.19, 95%CI: 1.06-4.50, P=0.033) and obesity (OR=3.70, 95%CI: 2.57-5.04, P=0.008). Conclusion: Moderate to severe MGD significantly correlates with high BMI in Chinese adults.