Amod K. Pokhrel|Kirk R. Smith|Asheena Khalakdina|Amar Deuja|Michael Bates
Case–control study of indoor cooking smoke exposure and cataract in Nepal and India
University of California, Berkeley
prevalence cataract higher developing countries developed developing countries females males blind cataracts three epidemiological studies associated indoor cooking solid fuels eg wood dung cataract blindness however associations studies may caused unmeasured confoundinga hospitalbased casecontrol study conducted nepalindia border cases n 206 women patients aged 3575 years confirmed cataracts controls n 203 frequency matched age patients attending refractive error clinic hospital standardized questionnaire administered participants logistic regression analysis involved adjustment age literacy residential area ventilation type lighting incense use working outsidecompared using cleanburningfuel stove biogas lpg kerosene adjusted odds ratio using flued solidfuel stove 123 95 confidence interval ci 044342 whereas use unflued solidfuel stove 190 95 ci 100361 lack kitchen ventilation independent risk factor cataract 196 95 ci 125307this study provides confirmatory evidence use solid fuel unflued indoor stoves associated increased risk cataract women cooking association likely due bias including confounding strengthens findings three previous studies replacing unflued stoves flued stoves would greatly reduce risk although cooking cleanerburning fuels would best option