LAUSR

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate diseases associated with age-related cataract in the geriatric population considering possible common physiopathological mechanisms. Subjects and methods The study included patients with diagnosis of age-related cataract who attended a hospital health board between February 2016 and November 2018. The records of 2563 patients were retrospectively evaluated in terms of the presence of age-related cataract. The records of patients with age-related cataract were retrospectively examined for additional diseases. Results A total of 357 patients with age-related cataract were included in the study (mean age = 71.1 ± 5.2 years). Two or more additional diseases were detected in 142 patients (39.7%). Patients with additional diseases suffered from musculoskeletal ( n  = 234, 65.5%), cardiovascular ( n  = 220, 61.6%), ear, nose, and throat ( n  = 80, 22.4%), internal medicine ( n  = 57, 15.9%), and neurological disorders ( n  = 51, 14.2%). The most frequently determined diseases were gonarthrosis (36.9%), hypertension (26.8%), hearing loss (20.4%), spondyloarthrosis (17.6%), heart valve disease (15.6%), and diabetes mellitus (11.4%). Conclusions Patients with age-related cataract have various comorbidities. This may be caused by the aging process but may not always be a normal part of aging. Thus, diseases among elderly individuals should not be considered in isolation. Studies focusing on common physiopathological mechanisms may be helpful to understand the development of comorbidities.