Plasma Lipid Levels in Patients with Cataract, with and without Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome

Abstract

Purpose: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES) is an age-related condition characterized by the deposit of an abnormal fibrillar material on many ocular tissues. The current study aimed to assess plasma lipid levels including cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in patients with cataract, with and without pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Methods: Patients with the diagnosis of senile cataract and indication of surgery were included in the current case-control study. Following the examination, the patients were classified into two groups; the PES group and the non-PES group. From all participants, blood samples were taken after 12 hours of fasting to measure TG, cholesterol, LDL, HDL and VLDL. Mean of plasma lipids were compared between the two groups. Results: Two hundred and fifteen patients with cataract were enrolled in the study in which 74 were diagnosed as having PES (58.1% male) and 141 were non-PES (54.6%) and were selected as control group. Differences between PES and non-PES groups were not statistically significant when considering the mean concentrations of cholesterol, LDL, VLDL and HDL (P = 0.899, 0.403, 0.392 and 0.878 respectively). Mean concentration of TG in non-PES group was 127.07 ± 6.59 mg/dL, which was lower than the mean TG of PES group (149.78 ± 6.15 mg/dL). The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.021). Conclusions: The study found that Increased TG values were significantly associated with PES. The study results showed that checking and controlling the dyslipidemia in patients with cataract and PES may be helpful. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended.