Glaucoma prevalence may not be uniformly high in all 'black' populations.
Afr J Med Med Sci
; 30(4): 337-9, 2001 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-14510115
ABSTRACT
Epidemiological data on the prevalence of glaucoma are generally presented for populations described as "whites" or "blacks". "Black" populations appear to have a higher glaucoma preva lence than "white" populations. We describe a population-baseed survey for glaucoma in rural Northern Nigeria. A total of 1563 Hausa/Fulani individuals aged 5 years and above, underwent an extensive screening test and a detailed ophthalmological examination was performed on individuals who failed the test. The overall prevalence of open angle glaucoma in this population was 1.02% (0.12 to 3.64, 95% confidence interval) in individuals 45 years of age and older. This is lower than the prevalence rates reported for other "black" populations. The low prevalence of glaucoma detected in this African population may be, to some extent, a reflection of the age structure of the population studied or methodological differences in ophthalmic examinations performed. It is also possible that the prevalence of glaucoma varies considerably between "black" populations due to genetic heterogeneity or the effect of some unidentified environmental exposure. The use of the simple description of populations as 'black' (or 'white'), which focuses on a commonality, tends to obscure the potential heterogeneity within and between populations and thus may be unhelpful in some circumstances.
Buscar en Google
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Negro o Afroamericano
/
Glaucoma de Ángulo Abierto
/
Vigilancia de la Población
Tipo de estudio:
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Afr J Med Med Sci
Año:
2001
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Nigeria