Association between Dyslipidemia and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

SIGNIFICANCE Meibomian gland dysfunction reduces the quality and/or quantity of meibum. An association between dyslipidemia and meibomian gland dysfunction has been proposed, but this has not been estimated. Therefore, this study evaluates the odds of dyslipidemia in meibomian gland dysfunction. PURPOSE This study aimed to use meta‐analysis to estimate the association between dyslipidemia and meibomian gland dysfunction. METHODS The following databases were searched: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Case‐control and cohort studies assessing the association between dyslipidemia and meibomian gland dysfunction were included. The association was assessed using odds ratios. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed with the χ 2 statistic and degree of inconsistency. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale. The systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022347982). RESULTS The systematic review included three case‐control and two cohort studies. The odds of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in meibomian gland dysfunction were 5.45 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65 to 17.95) and 3.28 (95% CI, 1.25 to 8.62), respectively. The odds of elevated serum low‐density lipoprotein and reduced high‐density lipoprotein in meibomian gland dysfunction were 2.72 (95% CI, 1.24 to 5.98) and 1.15 (95% CI, 0.74 to 1.79), respectively. The current study's limitation is that the effects of sex, age, and meibomian gland dysfunction severity on the association between dyslipidemia and meibomian gland dysfunction were not assessed. CONCLUSIONS The current study suggests a significant association between dyslipidemia and meibomian gland dysfunction. This finding suggests that meibomian gland dysfunction diagnosis may call for dyslipidemia screening.