Risk factors associated with glaucoma status: a case study of Abesim Health Center (2019-2021)

Abstract

Background — Despite glaucoma being a global public health concern, there is currently no clear and accepted explanation for the causes of glaucoma. The National Blindness Survey conducted in Ghana shows that over 19% of blindness in Ghana was accounted for by glaucoma. The reported prevalence of glaucoma in Ghana is the second highest in the world, yet little attention has been paid to this silent thief of sight. Objective — This paper aims to identify the risk factors associated with glaucoma using a case study of Abesim Health Centre, Sunyani, Ghana. Methods — A retrospective method was employed wherein medical and sociodemographic records of 537 patients were retrieved, of which 233 (43.39%) belonged to women and 287 (53.61%) to men. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for glaucoma, while the chi-square test was performed to reveal the association between glaucoma and the categorical variables of interest. Results — Diabetes (p=0.0006), previous eye surgery (p=0.0026), and family history of glaucoma (p=0.0026) were the medical factors associated with glaucoma, while gender (p<0.0001), religion (p<0.0001), and marital status (p=0.0108) were the demographic factors associated with glaucoma. The log odds of glaucoma cases when all other factors were controlled were: Est. 2.2110; CI: 1.2088, 3.2523; p<0.0001. Glaucoma was lower among women (Est. 0.8828; CI: -1.2736, -0.4996; p<0.0001) and lower among married patients (Est. -0.4426; CI: -0.8662, -0.0234; p=0.0393). Conclusion — Gender, marital status, religious affiliation, family history of glaucoma, diabetes and previous eye surgery were the main risk factors for glaucoma status in this study. These findings enrich our understanding of demographic and health-related factors that may influence glaucoma risk and can be used for specific preventive and intervention measures.