Purpose: To determine the incidence of newly diagnosed pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma in residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1976 to 1991.
Materials and methods: The database of the Rochester Epidemiology Project was used to identify all patients residing in Olmsted County who were newly diagnosed with pseudoexfoliation syndrome from 1976 to 1991. The criterion used to diagnose pseudoexfoliation syndrome was the presence of pseudoexfoliation material on 1 or more anterior segment structures. Criteria used to diagnose pseudoexfoliation glaucoma were diagnosis of pseudoexfoliation syndrome with evidence of glaucomatous changes or ocular hypertension receiving therapy. The overall age and sex-adjusted annual incidences of pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, adjusted to the 1990 US white population, were determined with differences across age and sex using Poisson regression.
Results: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome was diagnosed in 290 patients (mean age, 73 +/- 10 years). Two hundred twenty-one (76%) were female. The overall age and sex-adjusted annual incidence of pseudoexfoliation syndrome was 25.9 per 100,000. The age-adjusted incidence was higher in females than in males (32.7 vs 16.9 per 100,000; P<0.001). Pseudoexfoliation syndrome diagnoses increased with age, from 2.8 per 100,000 in persons 40 to 49 years to 205.7 per 100,000 in persons > or =80 years (P<0.001). Thirty-five patients were excluded from pseudoexfoliation glaucoma diagnosis. Of the remaining 255 patients, 113 (44%) were diagnosed with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma during the study period (mean age, 76 +/- 10 years), 84 (74%) of whom were female. The overall age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma was 9.9 per 100,000. The age-adjusted incidence was higher in females than in males (11.7 vs 7.2 per 100,000; P < 0.001). Pseudoexfoliation glaucoma was increasingly diagnosed with age, rising from 0.6 per 100,000 in persons 40 to 49 years to 114.3 per 100,000 in persons > or =80 years, (P<0.001).
Conclusions: In a defined population, the estimated overall age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence of pseudoexfoliation syndrome was 25.9 per 100,000 population, while the estimated overall age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma was 9.9 per 100,000 population. The incidence of both diseases was higher in females and increased with advancing age.