Risk factors for cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataracts - The POLA study

The POLA (Pathologies Oculaires Liees a l'Age) Study is a population-based study of cataract and age-related macular degeneration and their risk facto rs being carried out among 2,584 residents of Sete, southern France, aged 6 0-95 years, Recruitment took place between June 1995 and July 1997. Catarac t classification was based on a standardized lens examination by slit tamp, according to Lens Opacities Classification System ill. This paper presents results obtained from cross-sectional analysis of the first phase of the s tudy. In polytomous logistic regression analyses, an increased risk of cata ract was found for female sex (cataract surgery: odds ratio (OR) = 3.03; co rtical cataract: OR = 1.67), brown irises (cortical, nuclear, and mixed cat aracts: OR = 1.61), smoking (cataract surgery: OR = 2.34 for current smoker s and OR = 3.75 for former smokers), known diabetes of 10 or more years' du ration (posterior subcapsular, cortical, and mixed cataracts and cataract s urgery: OR = 2.72), use of oral corticosteroids for at least 5 years (poste rior subcapsular cataract: OR = 3.25), asthma or chronic bronchitis (catara ct surgery: OR = 2.04), cancer (posterior subcapsular cataract: OR = 1.92), and cardiovascular disease (cortical cataract: OR = 1.96). Decreased risk of cataract was found with higher education (all types of cataract and cata ract surgery: OR = 0.59), hypertension (cataract surgery: OR = 0.57), and h igh plasma retinol levels (nuclear and mixed cataracts and cataract surgery : OR = 0.75 for a 1-standard-deviation increase). Most of the risk factors identified in this study confirm the findings of other studies. The associa tion of cataract with plasma retinol level requires further investigation.