Abstract
In Western countries, ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin cancer has been studied extensively regarding the high incidence of skin cancers in the white population; however, for people of color, cataracts are the main public health issue in relation to increased ambient ultraviolet radiation (UVR). To our knowledge, few studies have been conducted examining the relationship between cataracts and ambient UVR in China. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between and the factors influencing the disability prevalence of cataracts and annual ambient erythemal UVR exposure in 31 regions of China. The data used to determine the disability prevalence of cataracts was obtained from the Second China National Sample Survey on Disability. The regional annual erythemal UVR was calculated using Geographic Information System (GIS) methods based on data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) database. The relationship between the disability prevalence of cataracts and the annual ambient erythemal UVR was examined by using logistic regression. Both the age-standardized disability prevalence of cataracts (OR = 3.97, 95%CI 1.30–12.13, per 100KJ/m2 increase in annual ambient erythemal UVR) and the disability prevalence of cataracts among a population ≥65 years old (OR = 3.97, 95%CI 1.30–12.13, per 100KJ/m2 increase in annual ambient erythemal UVR) were higher in association with higher ambient erythemal UVR. Regions with higher urbanization and educational levels had lower disability prevalence of cataracts. We found positive associations of the age-standardized disability prevalence of cataracts and the disability prevalence of cataracts among a population ≥65 years old with ambient erythemal UVR in 31 regions of China.
Highlights
Since the hole in the ozone layer in the South Pole was firstly reported in 1985 [1], ozone depletion has become an important environmental issue that has attracted worldwide attention
We found that the age-standardized disability prevalence of cataracts and the disability prevalence of cataracts among a population $65 years old were both associated with the annual ambient erythemal ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in 31 regions of China
The results in the present study demonstrated that Xizang (Tibet) had the highest ambient erythemal UVR and the highest age-standardized disability prevalence of cataracts (1,651 per 100,000)
Summary
Since the hole in the ozone layer in the South Pole was firstly reported in 1985 [1], ozone depletion has become an important environmental issue that has attracted worldwide attention. Two main public health issues in relation to ozone depletion, increased ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin cancer and cataracts, have been studied by researchers from different countries over the past two decades [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Cataracts have been the main public health concern due to increased ambient UVR [3,4,5,9] because this population is less likely to develop skin cancer due to the protective properties of their skin. West et al estimated that 167,000– 830,000 additional cases of cortical cataracts would be identified by 2050 in the U.S with 5–20% ozone depletion resulting in an increase of UVB rays [7]. To our knowledge, few studies have been conducted on the relationship between cataracts and ambient UVR or UV exposure in China
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