The study found that 6 risk factors were significantly associated with the development of cataract. The authors suggest that these factors might have a role in reducing the likelihood of developing the eye condition. The data are de-identified and were collected through longitudinal electronic health records (EHRs). The Cerner Health Facts database is a source of de-identified, longitudinal EHRs. The Cerner Health FACTS database captures demographic, treatment, and hospital information of a large number of patients. Using this data to estimate the risk of cataract development, the researchers are able to identify potential risk factors.
The age-adjusted nuclear risk factor was also significant. The study participants were more likely to develop cataract if they were born outside of Australia or New Zealand. Additionally, people who smoked for at least 30 years were more likely to develop the disease. In addition, those who were currently or had previously used systemic corticoids or calcium channel blockers were significantly more likely to develop the disease. Moreover, those who were smokers for a longer time were significantly less vulnerable to cataract than nonsmokers.
Other approaches have been used to calculate relative risks. However, they are not applicable to multiple causes. A recent study described the value of subdistribution hazard functions in patients with multiple risk factors. This approach requires that each failure has a unique cause. Therefore, the results of this study are easily interpretable. The results were consistent with the previous studies. These findings indicate that nuclear cataract risks are increased by age in people with certain types of comorbidities.
The study showed that cigarette smoking and high myopia were independent risk factors in the onset of senile cataract in workers. Other significant age-adjusted nuclear risk factors included cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, and exposure to gamma-rays. The most significant risk factor was exposure to more than 2.00 Sv. For the overall population, the risk of senile cataract was not related to sex, initial employment age, and the use of systemic corticosteroids.
Other approaches to evaluate the relative risks of cataract have been proposed in the literature. These approaches can be applied to a wide range of causes. Some studies, however, have used a subdistribution hazard function to identify the risk of cataract in a specific population. This method is useful in predicting the effects of different types of medications. Several of these drugs are known to increase the risk of developing a type of cataract.
In a population-based analysis, cigarette smoking was the most significant risk factor associated with senile cataract. Similarly, those with high myopia and glaucoma were at a higher risk for senile cataract than workers with normal eyesight. The external gamma-ray dose was the biggest risk factor for senile cataract. Regardless of the sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, and age at first employment, the RR was not significantly affected by these factors.
