To Örebro University

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and some of its components with the incidence of cataract extraction.

METHODS: A population-based prospective cohort with a total of 45 049 men, aged 45-79 years, from the Cohort of Swedish Men completed in 1997 a self-administered questionnaire concerning anthropometric measurements and lifestyle factors. The men were followed from 1 January 1998 through 31 December 2012, and the cohort was matched with registers of cataract extraction. The main outcome measure was incident cases of age-related cataract extraction.

RESULTS: Over the 15-years of follow-up, 7573 incident cases of cataract extraction were identified. After controlling for potential confounders, the association between single components of metabolic syndrome, abdominal adiposity, diabetes and hypertension and risk of cataract extraction was rate ratio (RR): 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99-1.10, RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.64-1.92 and RR: 1.06; 95% CI 1.00-1.13, respectively. The risk of cataract extraction increased with increasing numbers of metabolic syndrome components (p < 0.0001). Men aged 65 years or younger at baseline with all three components of the metabolic syndrome had a relative risk of 2.43 (95% CI: 1.95-3.01) for cataract extraction.

CONCLUSION: In this cohort of middle-aged and elderly men, metabolic syndrome with the combination of abdominal adiposity, diabetes and hypertension was associated with an increased risk for cataract extraction, especially among men aged 65 years or younger. These findings put emphasis on the importance of weight control and healthy lifestyle behaviours in order to prevent cataract.