Risk Assessment of Glaucoma in the Kyrgyz Republic

Background. Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness. Knowledge of the risk factors that cause the development of glaucoma is extremely important for the early detection of disease.

Purpose. To assess the risk factors for glaucoma.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted using a questionnaire survey among 318 patients who sought medical care at the Department of Eye Microsurgery No. 2 of the Bishkek National Hospital. 49.0% of respondents were men and 51.0% were women; the percent of respondents aged over 40 years was 41.8±2.7 among men and 44.6±2.7 among women. Statistical methods, such as the calculation of intensive value, biases in representativeness and reliability criteria, were applied. A multifactorial analysis was carried out to assess the share of influence of risk factors. The risk of developing glaucoma was estimated in points (from 30 to 40 — low, from 50 to 70 points — average, over 70 points — high). The prognostic significance of risk factors in men and women was calculated.

Results. The study showed a high risk of glaucoma in both men and women. In men, hereditary predisposition takes the first place in the development of glaucoma; the share of influence was 60.8%. In women, this risk factor is also the leading one, accounting for 67.2%. The second largest share of influence is high blood pressure in men (R=53.3%) and pre-existing diabetes mellitus (R=60.8%) in women. The age over 40 years is in the third place for men and women (R=50.4% and 54.7%, respectively). Diabetes mellitus is also one of the leading risk factors for glaucoma: 47.6% in men and 49.0% in women.

Conclusion. The factor analysis allowed us to identify the main risk factors for glaucoma. The identification of risk factors contributes to the early diagnosis and detection of the clinical and functional features of glaucoma, as well as to the timely treatment that reduces the complications of glaucoma. To reduce the risk of glaucoma, it is necessary to improve the high-quality medical care at all levels of the treatment and diagnostic process and to optimize measures aimed at reducing the prevalence of glaucoma and the impact of individual risk factors.

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