Antihypertensive Use and the Risk of Cataract in Patients with Hypertension: A Nationwide Case-control Study

ABSTRACT

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the association between antihypertensive use and the risk of cataract in a matched case-control study.

Methods

We analysed the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort database from 2002 to 2013. We defined ‘cases’ as patients prescribed antihypertensives and underwent their first eye cataract surgery between 2010 and 2013. ‘Controls’ were patients prescribed antihypertensives and no history of cataract surgery or diagnosis between 2002 and 2013. Four controls were matched to each case by several variables. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for cataract risk using a conditional logistic regression model after adjustment.

Results

The analyses comprised 12,166 cases and 48,664 controls. The adjusted ORs for cataracts were 1.18 (95% CI: 1.12–1.24) in thiazide diuretics, 1.12 (95% CI: 1.07–1.18) in beta-blockers, 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90–1.00) in calcium channel blockers, 1.22 (95% CI: 1.14–1.30) in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.91–1.03) in angiotensin II receptor blockers compared to ‘non-use’ of each antihypertensive.

Conclusion

In a nationwide case-control study, the use of thiazide diuretics, beta-blockers, or ACE inhibitors do not represent minimal clinical important difference in the risk of cataract and the use of calcium channel blockers or angiotensin II receptor blockers is not associated with an increased risk of cataracts compared to non-use of each antihypertensive. Given the benefits of treating hypertension, such as the reduction in further complications, we suggest there is no need to change current clinical practice for antihypertensives.

KEYWORDS:

• Cataract
• antihypertensives
• case-control study
• thiazide diuretic
• beta-blocker
• ACE inhibitor
• calcium channel blocker
• angiotensin II receptor blocker

Disclosure statement

None of the following authors has any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest related to this submission.

This submission has not been published anywhere previously and that it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2022.2145612

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education under Grant number [2021R1A6A1A03044296], and by the Chung-Ang University Research Scholarship Grants in 2021.