Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Henan Eye Hospital, Henan Eye Institute, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan University People's Hospital, 7 Weiwu Road, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China.
Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 6;11(1):7559. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87291-y.
China is a populous country but lacks epidemiological data on keratoconus (KC). The present study aimed to investigate the clinical data, demographic data, and visual function (VF) data of KC patients in Central China. A total of 524 KC eyes in 307 KC patients (217 bilateral and 90 unilateral) from Henan Eye Hospital were included in the current study. Demographic and VF data were assessed with questionnaires administered by well-trained staff during face-to-face interviews. Visual acuity value was examined by a qualified optometrist, and the clinical data were measured by professional clinicians. The distributions of sex, residence and education level of KC patients were compared by Chi-square tests, and the ratios of people wearing glasses and rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses were compared by McNemar tests. General linear models/Chi-squared tests were used to compare the clinical and demographic data according to KC severity. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to test the associations between the data and KC severity. The mean age at diagnosis was 20.98 ± 6.06 years, and males had a higher ratio of KC than females (P < 0.001). Patients in rural areas had a higher rate of KC than those in urban areas (P = 0.039), and the proportion of KC patients with a higher education level (above high school) was high (P < 0.001). A total of 68.40% of the patients reported eye rubbing and 3.52% had a positive family history. The percentage of people wearing glasses was higher than that of patients wearing RGP lenses (P < 0.001). The total VF score of KC patients was 69.35 ± 15.25. The thinnest corneal thickness (TCT) and stiffness parameter at the first applanation (SP-A1) values were inversely correlated with KC severity (P < 0.05). The mean, steep, and max keratometry (Km, Ks and Kmax) values, the RGP lens use and keratoplasty were positively correlated with KC severity (all P < 0.05). The total VF score of the eye with better VA decreased as the severity increased (r = - 0.21, P = 0.002). The present study comprehensively describes various associated features of KC patients from a tertiary hospital in Central China, providing a reference for understanding the characteristics of KC patients in China.
中国是一个人口众多的国家，但缺乏圆锥角膜 (KC) 的流行病学数据。本研究旨在调查华中地区 KC 患者的临床数据、人口统计学数据和视力功能 (VF) 数据。本研究共纳入河南眼病医院 307 例 KC 患者（217 例双侧，90 例单侧）的 524 只 KC 眼。通过经验丰富的工作人员进行面对面访谈，评估人口统计学和 VF 数据。由合格的验光师检查视力值，由专业临床医生测量临床数据。通过卡方检验比较 KC 患者的性别、居住地和教育水平分布，通过 McNemar 检验比较戴眼镜和硬性透气性角膜接触镜（RGP）镜片的人数比例。根据 KC 严重程度，采用一般线性模型/卡方检验比较临床和人口统计学数据。采用斯皮尔曼相关分析检验数据与 KC 严重程度的相关性。诊断时的平均年龄为 20.98±6.06 岁，男性 KC 发病率高于女性（P<0.001）。农村地区 KC 患者的比例高于城市地区（P=0.039），受过高等教育（高中以上）的 KC 患者比例较高（P<0.001）。68.40%的患者报告有揉眼，3.52%有阳性家族史。戴眼镜的人数比例高于戴 RGP 镜片的人数（P<0.001）。KC 患者的总 VF 评分为 69.35±15.25。最薄角膜厚度（TCT）和第一次压平（SP-A1）值的硬度参数与 KC 严重程度呈负相关（P<0.05）。平均、陡峭和最大角膜曲率（Km、Ks 和 Kmax）值、RGP 镜片使用和角膜移植与 KC 严重程度呈正相关（均 P<0.05）。VA 较好的眼的总 VF 评分随严重程度的增加而降低（r=-0.21，P=0.002）。本研究全面描述了来自华中地区一家三级医院的 KC 患者的各种相关特征，为了解中国 KC 患者的特征提供了参考。
