Congenital cataract in children: Age at surgery and diagnosis-treatment interval in the Brazilian Unified Health System in Salvador (BA), Brazil.
- 1Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
- 2Instituto Brasileiro Oftalmologia e Prevenção a Cegueira, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Abstract
Objective
To determine the age at first congenital cataract surgery and the diagnosis-to-treatment interval at a specialized service in Salvador, Brazil, quantifying treatment delay and characterizing the clinical-epidemiological profile of the population.Methods
Retrospective, observational case series with an exploratory analytical component, including pediatric patients who underwent congenital cataract surgery through the Brazilian Unified Health System between 2015 and 2024. The primary outcomes were age at first surgery and the diagnosis-to-treatment interval; as a secondary, exploratory aim, factors associated with surgical age were examined. Student's t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and linear regression were used, with estimates reported as coefficients and 95% confidence intervals - 95%CIs (p<0.05).Results
A total of 187 patients (274 eyes) were included, predominantly male (60.4%) and bilateral (54.5%). The median age at surgery was four years (interquartile range [IQR] 2.0-6.0), and no child was operated on within the recommended window; only 13 (7.0%) underwent surgery before one year of age. The diagnosis-to-treatment interval was adequate in 48.1% and delayed in 51.9%. In the exploratory adjusted model, no variable was independently associated with surgical age (adjusted R2=0.029). The median remained 4.0 years even in the absolute-surgical-indication subgroup, indicating that greater clinical severity did not translate into earlier surgery.Conclusions
Surgery occurred well beyond the recommended window. As the in-hospital interval was relatively efficient, the delay appears to lie upstream of referral, reinforcing the need to strengthen neonatal screening and early detection in primary care.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{nascimento2026congenital,
title = {{Congenital cataract in children: Age at surgery and diagnosis-treatment interval in the Brazilian Unified Health System in Salvador (BA), Brazil.}},
author = {Igor Mello do Nascimento and Pollyanna Santos Suzart and Dayse Cury de Almeida Oliveira},
journal = {Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1590/1984-0462/2026/44/2025337},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912061},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Congenital cataract in children: Age at surgery and diagnosis-treatment interval in the Brazilian Unified Health System in Salvador (BA), Brazil.
AU - Igor Mello do Nascimento
AU - Pollyanna Santos Suzart
AU - Dayse Cury de Almeida Oliveira
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo
DO - 10.1590/1984-0462/2026/44/2025337
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912061
AB - Objective To determine the age at first congenital cataract surgery and the diagnosis-to-treatment interval at a specialized service in Salvador, Brazil, quantifying treatment delay and characterizing the clinical-epidemiological profile of the population.Methods Retrospective, observational case series with an exploratory analytical component, including pediatric patients who underwent congenital cataract surgery through the Brazilian Unified Health System between 2015 and 2024. The primary outcomes were age at first surgery and the diagnosis-to-treatment interval; as a secondary, exploratory aim, factors associated with surgical age were examined. Student's t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and linear regression were used, with estimates reported as coefficients and 95% confidence intervals - 95%CIs (p<0.05).Results A total of 187 patients (274 eyes) were included, predominantly male (60.4%) and bilateral (54.5%). The median age at surgery was four years (interquartile range [IQR] 2.0-6.0), and no child was operated on within the recommended window; only 13 (7.0%) underwent surgery before one year of age. The diagnosis-to-treatment interval was adequate in 48.1% and delayed in 51.9%. In the exploratory adjusted model, no variable was independently associated with surgical age (adjusted R2=0.029). The median remained 4.0 years even in the absolute-surgical-indication subgroup, indicating that greater clinical severity did not translate into earlier surgery.Conclusions Surgery occurred well beyond the recommended window. As the in-hospital interval was relatively efficient, the delay appears to lie upstream of referral, reinforcing the need to strengthen neonatal screening and early detection in primary care.
SN - 0103-0582
SN - 1984-0462
ER -