Association between diabetes and cataracts in the Peruvian population: analysis of a national survey

Objective: To determine the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and cataracts in Peruvian adults over 50 years of age. Methods: Cross-sectional analytical observational study corresponding to the secondary analysis of the 2019 Encuesta Demográfica y de Salud Familiar database. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was considered an independent variable and cataract as a dependent variable. A descriptive analysis was performed using absolute frequencies and weighted proportions, as well as a multivariate analysis using generalized linear models of the Poisson family with logarithmic link function to estimate prevalence ratios on the association between diabetes and cataracts. Results: Data from a total of 8,775 Peruvian adults over 50 years of age were analyzed, of whom 1,322 self-reported a diagnosis of cataract. Of the total respondents, 9.2% reported having been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and 16.7% with cataracts. The crude model (p<0.001) and the adjusted models 1 (p=0.007) and 2 (p=0.029) found an association between having diabetes mellitus and having cataracts. Conclusion: Two out of ten adults aged 50 years old and older in Peru had cataracts. There was an association between having diabetes and the presence of cataracts in the Peruvian population.