title: Association between low plasma vitamin E concentration and progression of early cortical lens opacities.
abstract: The authors evaluated the association between plasma vitamin E content and progression of eye lens opacities. A total of 410 hypercholesterolemic eastern Finnish men participated in the study from January 1990 to September 1993 in Kuopio, Finland. Lens opacities were classified three times at 18-month intervals using the Lens Opacities Classification System II. A low plasma vitamin E level (lowest quartile) was associated with a 3.7-fold excess risk (95% confidence interval 1.2-11.8) of the progression of early cortical lens opacities compared with the highest quartile (p = 0.028). In addition, the number of cigarettes smoked daily was a significant predictor of the progression of cortical lens opacity (relative risk = 1.06 per cigarette, 95% confidence interval 1.003-1.12). The progression of nuclear lens opacities was not associated with either the plasma vitamin E content or smoking. The data suggest that low plasma vitamin E content may be associated with increased risk of the progression of early cortical lens opacity.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Public Health, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rouhiainen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rouhiainen
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Salonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D002386:Cataract / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D018450:Disease Progression; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D014810:Vitamin E; D017035:Pravastatin