Prevalence of angle-closure disease in a rural southern Indian population.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of primary angle-closure glaucoma, primary angle closure (PAC), and primary angle-closure suspect (PACS) and its associated risk factors in a rural population in southern India.


METHODS
Three thousand and nine hundred thirty-four (81.95%) of 4800 enumerated subjects aged 40 years or older underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, including compression gonioscopy. Glaucoma was diagnosed using International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology classification.


RESULTS
Data were analyzed for 3924 subjects (81.75%). Primary angle-closure glaucoma was diagnosed in 34 subjects (0.87%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58 to 1.16) (27 women, 7 men). The mean intraocular pressure was 20.71 +/- 9.24 mm Hg. One subject (2.94%) was blind. Twenty-eight subjects (0.71%; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.98) were diagnosed to have PAC (21 women, 7 men). Eleven subjects (39.3%) had an intraocular pressure greater than 21 mm Hg, 13 subjects (46.43%) had peripheral anterior synechiae, and 4 subjects (14.29%) had both. Two hundred forty-six subjects (6.27%; 95% CI, 5.51 to 7.03) had PACS (168 women, 78 men). Primary angle closure and primary angle-closure glaucoma were more common in women (age-adjusted odds ratio, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.66 to 5.51) with an increasing prevalence with age. Increasing intraocular pressure was associated with the disease (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.19). There was no association with hypertension and hyperopia. Axial length and anterior chamber depth were longer in the normal group than in the 3 groups with angle closure (P<.05). Women had shorter axial lengths than men (P<.001) in the angle closure groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall prevalence of primary angle closures (PAC and primary angle-closure glaucoma) in a rural population of southern India was 1.58%. There was a female preponderance, and the disease tends to be asymptomatic.
Vijaya
Lingam
L
Glaucoma Project, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India and Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, Wis, USA. chennaigs@rediffmail.com
George
Ronnie
R
Arvind
Hemamalini
H
Baskaran
M
M
Paul
Pradeep G
PG
Ramesh
S Ve
SV
Raju
Prema
P
Kumaramanickavel
Govindasamy
G
McCarty
Catherine
C
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006068:Gonioscopy; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution