Comparison of serum sodium and potassium levels in patients with cataract and individuals without cataract in a tertiary care center in North Kerala: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20263103Keywords:
Senile cataract, Serum potassium, Serum sodiumAbstract
Background: Cataract remains a leading cause of treatable blindness worldwide, accounting for moderate to severe vision impairment or blindness in approximately 94 million people globally. The study aimed to compare serum sodium and potassium levels between individuals with and without cataract and to assess whether these electrolyte levels vary among the different types of senile cataract classified according to the LOCS III (lens opacities classification system III) classification.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 200 patients aged 50-60 years attending the ophthalmology OPD at a tertiary care center from 2022 to 2024. Cataracts were graded after dilated fundus examination. Serum sodium and potassium levels were measured using ion-selective electrode technology (Beckman Coulter AU-5800). Statistical analysis included descriptive tools and Student’s t-test to assess differences between means.
Results: Mean serum sodium was higher in the cataract group (139.3 mEq/l) compared to the non-cataract group (136.6 mEq/l). Serum potassium was also slightly higher in the cataract group, though not statistically significant. Among cataract types, posterior subcapsular cataract showed the highest serum sodium levels. Nuclear sclerosis cases had marginally higher potassium levels than other types, but the difference was not significant.
Conclusions: Serum sodium levels were significantly higher in patients with cataract, though still within the normal range. This suggests that dietary sodium restriction might help delay cataract development.
References
GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators; Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9(2):e144-60.
Horn EP, Bixler Je, Christopher KL, Cole C, Edgington BD, Islam Y, et al. 2024-2025 Basic and Clinical Science Course, Section 11: Lens and Cataract. American academy of ophthalmology; 2024.
Sahare H, Jadhao AN, Vengurlekar SG, Shah MP. Study of serum sodium and potassium levels in senile cataract patients versus normal controls at tertiary center. Asian J Biochem Gen Mol Biol. 2024;16(1):36-9.
Durairaj R, Ponnugandhi P. Serum electrolyte imbalances in diabetic versus non-diabetic senile cataract: A comparative study. Int J Clin Biochem Res. 2025;12(1):31-6.
Bansal A, Amin H, Rekha R. Correlation of aqueous humor electrolytes with serum electrolytes in cataract patients. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021;69(10):2675-7.
Sofi RA, Raja W, Nabi J, Mufti AA. Serum sodium and potassium levels in senile cataract patients and age? Matched normal individuals. Pak J Ophthalmol. 2015;31(3).
Mathur G, Pai V. Comparison of serum sodium and potassium levels in patients with senile cataract and age-matched individuals without cataract. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2016;64(6):446-7.
Mirsamadi M, Nourmohammadi I, Imamian M. Comparative study of serum Na+ and K+ levels in senile cataract patients and normal individuals. Int J Med Sci. 2004;1(3):165-9.
Deokar SA, Rai PS, Ingale PW, Rai AB, Bakshi AA. Study of serum sodium and potassium concentration in cataract patients. Int J Res Med Sci. 2014;2(2):592-4.
Soni PN, Chabada DS, Wankhede SU, Soni SP. Serum electrolyte changes in senile cataract patients at tertiary care teaching hospital in Marathwada region, Maharashtra, India. Int J Adv Med. 2016;3:287-90.
Khan AA, Rizvi SA, Amitava AK, Moin S, Siddiqui Z, Yusuf F. Serum Na + and K + as risk factors in age-related cataract: An Indian perspective. Sudanese J Ophthalmol. 2014;6:10-3.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
