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Abstract #8218 Published in IGR 4-3
Risk factors for open angle glaucoma: a study in two rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Kaimbo wa Kaimbo D; Buntinx F; Missotten LArchives of Public Health 2002; 60: 101-114
AIM: To confirm or refute the increased occurrence of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in Mongo people compared with Kongo, as previously described in Kinshasa inhabitants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three centers in rural areas in the Equateur region and three in the Bas-Congo region (mainly the homeland of the Mongo and Kongo people, respectively) were chosen, and a total of 820 self-referred subjects (almost 1% of both populations) were recruited and examined. Ocular examination included visual acuity testing, inspection of the adnexa, slit-lamp examination, ophthalmoscopy and intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements. The criterion for the diagnosis of OAG was a combination of an elevated IOP (> 21 mmHg), a vertical cup/disc ratio larger than 0.5, and the presence of an open anterior chamber angle. RESULTS: Age-adjusted glaucoma frequency was higher in Mongo patients compared with Kongo patients (relative prevalence, 2.24;95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.6) living in their own region of origin. CONCLUSIONS: The previously described ratio of OAG among Mongo was confirmed in people living in their region of origin. Together, these results are supportive of the hypothesis of a true biological difference between Mongo and Kongo people.
D. Kaimbo wa Kaimbo, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa 1, Congo
Classification:
1.1 Epidemiology (Part of: 1 General aspects)
