title: Association between folate status, diabetes, antihypertensive medication and age-related cataracts in elderly Taiwanese.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate possible risk factors for cataract in elderly Taiwanese, and to investigate whether the relationship between age and cataract in older persons is modified by other cataract-associated risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of 661 males and 645 females aged ≥ 65 yrs was conducted as part of the Elderly Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) (Elderly NAHSIT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported cataracts were defined as any incidence of cataract that was diagnosed by a physician and treated by anticataractic drugs based on the medical history section of the Elderly NAHSIT. Potential risk factors for cataract were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis of data obtained from the health examination, blood biochemistry and interviewer-administered questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that the prevalence of self-reported cataract increased with age and was significantly higher in older women than in older men. Cataracts were associated with age, diabetes, antihypertensive medication and folate insufficiency in older men, and with age and antihypertensive medication in older women. Folate insufficiency remained associated with cataract in older men who had adequate vitamin B2, B6 and B12 status. Folate insufficiency was associated with cataract after adjustment for other risk factors in older men aged ≥ 75 yrs, while in older men aged 65-74 yrs, only diabetes and antihypertensive medication remained associated with cataract. In addition, age ≥ 75 yrs remained a risk factor for cataract in those without diabetes, not taking hypertensive medication and with normal folate status. Further analysis showed that the strength of the association between age ≥ 75 yrs in older men and cataracts was increased about 1.5-fold when combined with folate insufficiency (interaction p= 0.0198), and increased about 1.8-fold when combined with use of antihypertensive medication (interaction p = 0.0214).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the combination of age ≥ 75 yrs in older men with either folate insufficiency or use of antihypertensive medication had an additive effect on the risk of cataract. Maintenance of good folate status should be emphasized to reduce the risk of cataract in the Taiwanese elderly, especially men.
authors: Department of Hospitality Management, Chung-Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China. d89623701@ntu.edu.tw
authors: K-J
authors: KJ
authors: Chen
authors: W-H
authors: WH
authors: Pan
authors: C-J
authors: CJ
authors: Huang
authors: B-F
authors: BF
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002386:Cataract / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D005492:Folic Acid