Keratoconus presentation with respect to age, gender, and severity in Western India

Abstract

Purpose: To study the demographic profile of keratoconus (KC) patients visiting a tertiary eye care hospital in Western India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study included newly diagnosed KC patients visiting our hospital between January 2018 and October 2022. Patient’s demographic details (self-reported age at first presentation, age at diagnosis, and sex) and mean maximum curvature (K Max) were collected. The patients were divided into age band of 5-year groups. A subanalysis of gender and severity was performed among groups. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between KC severity and age. Results: A total of 536 patients with clinical KC were included. A self-reported age at first presentation was 19.4 ± 6.2 years. The mean age of diagnosis was 20.5 ± 6.0 years (range: 4–43 years). There were 61.6% (330) of males and 38.4% (206) of females (P < 0.01). The mean K Max value was 59.2 ± 13.3 diopter (D). The mean K Max was not significantly different between the sexes, with the exception of the age range of 24–28 years, where females had more severe KC than males (P = 0.02). Among the included patients, 38.6% (207) of patients were pediatrics (≤18 years), while 61.4% (329) were adults (>18 years). The mean K Max in pediatric KC (62.3 ± 15.1 D) was significantly higher than adult KC (57.3 ± 11.5), P < 0.01. Severity of KC did not correlate with the age of the patients (r = −0.20, P = 0.04). Conclusion: KC presented at a younger age with moderate-to-severe stage of the disease, indicating the need for early KC detection in our population.