Cataract increases the risk of peripheral artery occlusive disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study with propensity score

Abstract

PurposeWe conducted this study to evaluate the risk of peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) among patients with cataracts. MethodsWe analyzed the data from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Study participants were classified into the cataract group and the non-cataract group between 2000 and 2010. All patients were observed from the index year until PAOD diagnosis, loss to follow up, or the end of 2011. Both study groups were 1:1 matching based upon a propensity score. We used a cox proportional hazards regression model to assess the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of PAOD for the cataract cohort compared with the non-cataract cohort. ResultsAfter adjustment for age, sex and comorbidities, the risk of PAOD was significantly higher in the cataract cohort [adjusted HR (aHR)=1.48, 95% CI=1.38-1.58] than the non-cataract cohort. ConclusionsWe found that patients with cataracts had a 1.48-fold increased risk of developing PAOD compared to the non-cataract patients.