Risk Factors for Senile Corneal Arcus in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between senile corneal arcus and atherosclerosis risk factors in patients with recent acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: In this cross sectional study, atherosclerosis risk factors including fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured in 165 patients with recent (less than three months’ duration) acute myocardial infarction. Slitlamp examination was performed to detect corneal arcus. Associations between senile corneal arcus and atherosclerosis risk factors were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 165 patients including 100 male and 65 female subjects with mean age of 62±10.3 years were evaluated. In 122 patients (74%), variable degrees of corneal arcus were observed. The presence of corneal arcus was significantly associated with age (P = 0.03) and high levels of total cholesterol (over 200 mg/dl, P < 0.01). After adjusting for age, arcus was not associated with sex (P = 0.10), hypertriglyceridemia (P = 0.09), fasting blood sugar (P = 0.06), or systemic hypertension (P = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that corneal arcus is associated with age and hypercholesterolemia in patients with recent acute myocardial infarction. No association was detected with sex, fasting blood sugar, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia.