BACKGROUND: Infantile cataract is an important cause of childhood visual impairment. Surgery before 6 weeks of age is recommended for optimal visual outcome. Description of the epidemiologic characteristics of cataracts is important for an improved understanding of the condition. OBJECTIVES: To identify at-risk populations and facilitate successful treatment of patients with infantile cataracts. METHODS: Infants with cataracts diagnosed in the first year of life were identified using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program, a birth defects surveillance program with active methods of case ascertainment, for the years 1968-1998. Several factors were analyzed, including year of birth, sex, race, maternal age, plurality (single vs multiple gestation), gestational age, birth weight, laterality, seasonality, and age at diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 199 infants with cataracts were identified, for a rate of 2.03 per 10 000 births. In 117 infants (59%), cataracts occurred as an isolated defect; in 43 infants (22%), cataracts occurred as part of a syndrome; and in 39 infants (20%), additional, unrelated, major birth defects were also present. Rates were higher for low-birth-weight infants (those weighing <1500 g; risk ratio [RR], 6.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.83-9.43) and preterm infants (RR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21-2.40). Of the cases that occurred as an isolated defect, 38% were diagnosed after 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study provides 31 years of data from a diverse US population and allows identification of risk factors for infantile cataracts. The finding that a number of infants with cataracts continue to have their conditions diagnosed after 6 weeks of age emphasizes the need for direct ophthalmoscopic examination of the red reflex in the newborn period to facilitate early detection and improve outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Infantile cataract is an important cause of childhood visual impairment. Surgery before 6 weeks of age is recommended for optimal visual outcome. Description of the epidemiologic characteristics of cataracts is important for an improved understanding of the condition. OBJECTIVES: To identify at-risk populations and facilitate successful treatment of patients with infantile cataracts. METHODS:Infants with cataracts diagnosed in the first year of life were identified using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program, a birth defects surveillance program with active methods of case ascertainment, for the years 1968-1998. Several factors were analyzed, including year of birth, sex, race, maternal age, plurality (single vs multiple gestation), gestational age, birth weight, laterality, seasonality, and age at diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 199 infants with cataracts were identified, for a rate of 2.03 per 10 000 births. In 117 infants (59%), cataracts occurred as an isolated defect; in 43 infants (22%), cataracts occurred as part of a syndrome; and in 39 infants (20%), additional, unrelated, major birth defects were also present. Rates were higher for low-birth-weight infants (those weighing <1500 g; risk ratio [RR], 6.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.83-9.43) and preterm infants (RR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21-2.40). Of the cases that occurred as an isolated defect, 38% were diagnosed after 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study provides 31 years of data from a diverse US population and allows identification of risk factors for infantile cataracts. The finding that a number of infants with cataracts continue to have their conditions diagnosed after 6 weeks of age emphasizes the need for direct ophthalmoscopic examination of the red reflex in the newborn period to facilitate early detection and improve outcomes.
Authors: Brian P Brooks; Amy H Thompson; Janine A Clayton; Chi-Chao Chan; Deborah Tamura; Wadih M Zein; Delphine Blain; Casey Hadsall; John Rowan; Kristen E Bowles; Sikandar G Khan; Takahiro Ueda; Jennifer Boyle; Kyu-Seon Oh; John J DiGiovanna; Kenneth H Kraemer Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2011-09-28 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: Olga Messina-Baas; Manuel L Gonzalez-Garay; Luz M González-Huerta; Jaime Toral-López; Sergio A Cuevas-Covarrubias Journal: Mol Syndromol Date: 2016-04-14
Authors: Carlo Cagini; Gianluigi Tosi; Fabrizio Stracci; Victoria Elisa Rinaldi; Alberto Verrotti Journal: Int Ophthalmol Date: 2016-11-07 Impact factor: 2.031
Authors: Erin B Stallings; Jennifer L Isenburg; Cara T Mai; Rebecca F Liberman; Cynthia A Moore; Mark A Canfield; Jason L Salemi; Russell S Kirby; Tyiesha D Short; Wendy N Nembhard; Nina E Forestieri; Dominique Heinke; C J Alverson; Paul A Romitti; My-Phuong Huynh; Lindsay E Denson; Emily M Judson; Philip J Lupo Journal: Birth Defects Res Date: 2018-11-16 Impact factor: 2.344
Authors: Albeliz Santiago-Colón; Carissa M Rocheleau; I-Chen Chen; Wayne Sanderson; Martha A Waters; Christina C Lawson; Peter H Langlois; Janet D Cragan; Jennita Reefhuis Journal: Birth Defects Res Date: 2020-01-14 Impact factor: 2.661