Prevalence of primary open angle glaucoma in the last 20 years: a meta-analysis and systematic review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Nan Zhang, Central South University; Jiaxing Wang, Emory University; Ying Li, Emory University; Bing Jiang, Central South University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-07-02
• Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2021
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92971-w
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 13762
• End Page: 13762
• Grant/Funding Information: Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81770930 to Bing Jiang), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province Grant (2020jj4788 to Bing Jiang). The sponsor or funding organization had no role in the design or conduct of this research.
• Keywords: Science & Technology - Other Topics; AFRICAN POPULATION; OCULAR HYPERTENSION; POPULATION-BASED-SURVEY; RURAL-POPULATION; RISK-FACTORS; CHINESE POPULATION; Multidisciplinary Sciences; CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY; SOUTHERN INDIA; Science & Technology; ANTERIOR-CHAMBER-DEPTH; INDIAN POPULATION
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Opthamology

Abstract

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world and is influenced by various sociodemographic factors. This meta-analysis aims to determine the worldwide prevalence of POAG in the adult general population for the last 20 years, and explore variation in prevalence by age, gender and geographical location. An electronic literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Population-based cross-sectional or cohort studies published in the last 20 years (2000–2020) that reported prevalence of POAG were recruited. Relevant studies meeting defined eligibility criteria were selected and reviewed systematically by meta-analysis. The prevalence of POAG was analyzed according to various risk factors. A random effect model was used for the meta-analysis. Fifty publications with a total of 198,259 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The worldwide overall prevalence of POAG was 2.4% (95% CI 2.0 ~ 2.8%). The prevalence increases with age. Men are found to be more susceptible to POAG than women (RR 1.28, p < 0.01). Africa is found to have the highest prevalence of POAG (4.0%) among all continents. The current estimated global population of POAG is 68.56 million (95% CI 59.99 ~ 79.98). POAG is a worldwide vision threatening disease with high prevalence for the last 20 years. The population-based prevalence of POAG varies widely across individual studies, due to variations in risk factors of age, gender, and population geographic location.