Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and senile cataract in a Sardinian male population, Italy.

PURPOSE: There is still no general agreement on the role of G6PD deficiency in the pathogenesis of cataract. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of G6PD deficiency in men with senile cataract from Northern Sardinia, Italy, and to compare it with the prevalence rate of G6PD deficiency in the general population of the same area. METHODS: G6PD activity was determined by using a quantitative method. G6PD blood levels were measured in 1,620 men with cataract. The control group consisted of 1,646 apparently healthy male subjects from the same area. All patients were of Sardinian origin. The Z or Student's t test was used, when appropriate, to determine differences between groups. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval was used to evaluate the association between age-related cataract and G6PD deficiency. RESULTS: G6PD deficiency was found in 133 (8.2%) out of 1,620 patients with cataract and in 120 (7%) out of 1,646 control subjects. Differences in G6PD prevalence between cataract patients and controls were not statistically significant (P=0.64). There was no age-related statistical difference between G6PD deficient and normal patients with cataract. No statistically significant association between age-related cataract and G6PD deficiency was found (OR=1.14; 95% confidence interval: 0.88-1.47). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this large study suggest that male patients with G6PD deficiency in the Sardinian population do not have a higher risk of developing presenile cataract. G6PD deficiency does not represent a pathogenetic factor for early cataract formation, at least not in the Northern part of Sardinia.