ArticleGraefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie2023
Much higher prevalence of keratoconus than announced results of the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS).
Article in Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond Vision: Unveiling the Psychiatric Dimensions of Keratoconus.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Depression among keratoconus patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Short-term retinal microvascular and structural changes after epi-on and epi-off corneal cross-linking assessed by SD-OCTA.International ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Prevalence of keratoconus in first-degree relatives: a corneal tomography-based screening study.BMC ophthalmology · 2026Article
- The microenvironment of ocular surface in keratoconus: a systematic review.Eye and vision (London, England) · 2025Review
- Keratoconus: The Local Manifestation of a Systemic Disease?Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Influence of Crosslinking on Astigmatism Vector in Keratoconus: A Vector Analysis.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2025Article
- Omics in Keratoconus: From Molecular to Clinical Practice.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Different keratoconus definitions can lead to substantial prevalence disparities in population-based studies.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Prevalence and demographic profile of keratoconus among high school students in Kenya.International ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Keratoconus.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Keratoconus appears to be a rare corneal disease with a prevalence previously estimated at 1:2000. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of keratoconus in a large German cohort and to evaluate possible associated factors.
methodIn the population-based, prospective, monocentric cohort study, Gutenberg Health Study, 12,423 subjects aged 40-80 years were examined at the 5-year follow-up. Subjects underwent a detailed medical history and a general and ophthalmologic examination including Scheimpflug imaging. Keratoconus diagnosis was performed in two steps: all subjects with conspicuous TKC analysis of corneal tomography were included in further grading. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to investigate association with age, sex, BMI, thyroid hormone, smoking, diabetes, arterial hypertension, atopy, allergy, steroid use, sleep apnea, asthma, and depression.
resultsOf 10,419 subjects, 75 eyes of 51 subjects were classified as having keratoconus. The prevalence for keratoconus in the German cohort was 0.49% (1:204; 95% CI: 0.36-0.64%) and was approximately equally distributed across the age decades. No gender predisposition could be demonstrated. Logistic regression showed no association between keratoconus and age, sex, BMI, thyroid hormone, smoking, diabetes, arterial hypertension, atopy, allergy, steroid use, sleep apnea, asthma, and depression in our sample.
conclusionThe prevalence of keratoconus disease in a mainly Caucasian population is approximately tenfold higher than previously reported in the literature using latest technologies (Scheimpflug imaging). Contrary to previous assumptions, we did not find associations with sex, existing atopy, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, smoking, and depression.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.