AIM: To investigate the association between hyperlipidemia and diabetes with the risk of age-related cataract(ARC)in middle-aged and elderly men.

METHODS: A hospital-based case control study was conducted. Cases(n=360)were patients with cataract 45-85 years old. Controls(n=360)were patients with diseases that not related with cataract and were admitted to the same hospital. Cases and controls were matched with 1:1. All subjects were interviewed using a structured interviewer-administrated questionnaire. Questionnaire was designed to cover demographic data, lifestyle, previous diseases history, also collected the clinical biochemical examination data, including fasting blood glucose,high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG). The odds ratios(OR)and corresponding 95% confidence intervals(CI)of ARC were estimated using multiple logistic regression models.

RESULTS: After adjusted for age and gender, hyperlipidemia, hyperlipidemia duration, TC, and TG had no relation with the risk of ARC(P>0.05), though only declining levels of the HDL-C were associated with higher risk of ARC(OR =1.519, 95% CI:1.093-2.110, P=0.013). After adjusting for multiple potential confounders, fasting glucose impaired subjects was positively related with ARC(OR=1.734, 95% CI:1.102-2.725, P<0.001), however, those cases with diabetes had a larger risk than controls(OR=1.938, 95% CI:1.293-2.906, P<0.001)in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Diabetes duration was also positively related with ARC. The risk of ARC less than 10 years and 10 to 19 years in duration significantly increased(OR=2.374; 95%CI: 1.502-3.752, P<0.001 and OR=2.683; 95% CI:1.267-5.683, P=0.010 respectively).

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the HDL-C, diabetes are associated with an increased risk for ARC in middle-aged and elderly men.