Central corneal thickness distribution among patients diagnosed with systemic hypertension and diabetes mellitus: The Colombian glaucoma study

Objective: To establish the Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) distribution among patients diagnosed with systemic hypertension (SH) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in six cities of Colombia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Colombia among hypertensive and diabetic patients. This study included 2,067 subjects older than 50 diagnosed with SH and DM. Participants underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, including intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement by Goldmann tonometry, Central Corneal Thickness (CCT). The glaucoma diagnosis was confirmed by structural and functional evidence. Results: The average central corneal thickness was 538.91 microns (μm). The mean CCT of males was significantly thicker (542.43 μm) when compared with females (536.96 um) (p <0.001). Glaucoma patients had thinner corneas (533.15 μm) than glaucoma suspects (535.99 μm) and non-glaucoma patients (539.15 μm) (p<0.044). A decrease of approximately 2-3 um was observed for each decade of life, 50 - 60 years ( 540.50 μm ), 60 - 70 years ( 539.97 μm ), 70 - 80 years ( 537.41 μm ), older than 80 years ( 532.14 μm ) almost reaching a statistically significant value( p<0.056). Mestizo subjects had thicker corneas than white (caucasian) and African - descendants; 538.29 μm, 539.29 um, 531.05 μm, respectively (p <0.012). Patients with Intraocular Pressure (IOP) lower than 15 mmHg had thinner corneas than patients with IOP between 15 - 21 mmHg and higher than 21 mmHg; 536.92 μm, 543.41 μm, 559.50 μm, respectively (p: 0000). Conclusions: CCT is thicker in males compared to females. Glaucoma patients had thinner corneas than glaucoma suspects and non-glaucoma patients. Older patients (>80 years) had thinner corneas than younger patients. Mestizo subjects had thicker corneas than white (caucasian) and African - descendants. Patients with lower Intraocular Pressure (IOP) had thinner corneas than patients with higher IOP mmHg.