Cataract surgery could put the heart at risk with increased mortality from vascular causes, such as stroke and heart attack. The news comes from an observational study conducted at the University of Melbourne Ophthalmology Center and published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
The most practiced surgery
Cataract surgery is the only effective treatment for cataracts and is the most performed ophthalmic procedure. In the past, several studies have looked at the association between cataract surgery and all-cause mortality, but they have produced mixed results. For this the authors of the study decided to investigate the association between cataract surgery and death by examining deaths from specific causes.
Research
The authors accessed data from 14,918 people aged 40 and over who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2008 including 2,009 people (9.61%) who reported that you have undergone cataract surgery. Deaths were tracked over a period of 10.8 years during which 3,966 (19.1%) participants died. After taking into account a number of socioeconomic and health factors, only the association between cataract surgery and blood vessel-related mortality remained significant. The risk of death from any cause was 13% higher in people who reported having had cataract surgery than in participants who had not done this surgery, while the risk of death from vascular causes was 36% higher. No significant associations were observed specifically between cataract surgery and cancer, respiratory disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or accidents.
The role of oxidative stress
What could be the cause that explains the association between cataract surgery and vascular mortality? Researchers speculate that oxidative stress, lenses, or depression may be the common factor linking cataracts and the greatest risk of vascular death. Studies have shown that oxidative stress-induced DNA damage contributes to cataract formation and promotes atherogenesis.
The lenses and depression
The lenses are the main components of the eye and are also involved in regulating responses to stressors such as inflammation and ischemia. According to the researchers, lens degeneration that occurs with the onset of cataracts may represent a more common disease that contributes to increased vascular mortality. Furthermore, it has been shown that patients with cataracts are more likely to develop depression, which in turn predisposes them to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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