Department of Ophthalmology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, 102 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 06973, Republic of Korea.
Biomedical Research Institute, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2023 Sep 28;13(1):16324. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43674-x.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of ocular demodicosis on dry eye disease (DED) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) across different age populations: young (20 to < 40), middle-aged (40 to < 60), and elderly (≥ 60), based on the retrospective medical chart review. In each age subgroup, Demodex infestation and its count were correlated with clinical parameters of DED and MGD. Among the total of 351 subjects, 52.7% had ocular demodicosis, with a mean of 2.31 ± 1.39 mites per four eyelashes (0.58 per lash) in a unilateral eye. In the age subgroup 1 (age < 40; N = 44), subjects with Demodex had significantly higher meibum quality grades. In subgroup 2 (40 ≤ age < 60; N = 122), subjects with Demodex had higher ocular surface disease index scores and higher MG expressibility grades. However, in subgroup 3 (age ≥ 60; N = 185), demographics and all parameters did not differ according to Demodex infestation. Moreover, the number of mites did not correlate with MGD severity in any of the subgroups. In conclusion, age may act as a significant confounding factor in the relationship between ocular Demodex infestation and clinical features of DED and MGD, despite older patients aged 60 years and above being at a higher risk of Demodex infestation and experiencing more severe MGD.
本研究旨在通过回顾性病历分析，调查眼部蠕形螨病（DD）对不同年龄人群干眼（DED）和睑板腺功能障碍（MGD）的影响：年轻人（20 岁至＜40 岁）、中年人（40 岁至＜60 岁）和老年人（≥60 岁）。在每个年龄亚组中，均将蠕形螨感染及其数量与 DED 和 MGD 的临床参数相关联。在总共 351 名受试者中，52.7%患有眼部蠕形螨病，每只眼的四个睫毛上平均有 2.31±1.39 只螨虫（每根睫毛 0.58 只）。在年龄亚组 1（年龄＜40 岁；N=44）中，患有蠕形螨的受试者的眼脂质量等级显著更高。在年龄亚组 2（40≤年龄＜60 岁；N=122）中，患有蠕形螨的受试者的眼表疾病指数评分和 MG 可表达性等级更高。然而，在年龄亚组 3（年龄≥60 岁；N=185）中，根据蠕形螨感染情况，受试者的人口统计学和所有参数没有差异。此外，在任何亚组中，螨虫数量均与 MGD 严重程度无关。综上所述，尽管 60 岁及以上的老年患者蠕形螨感染的风险更高，MGD 更严重，但年龄可能是眼部蠕形螨感染与 DED 和 MGD 临床特征之间关系的一个重要混杂因素。
