Stiff Arteries Raise Glaucoma Risk?

TOPLINE:

Arterial stiffness increases the risk for developing glaucoma, a new study found.

METHODOLOGY:

To study the link between arterial stiffness and glaucoma, the researchers evaluated 4713 individuals (mean age, 66 years; 58% men) without the eye condition at baseline between April 2011 and November 2012.They assessed arterial stiffness by measuring aortic pulse wave velocity, estimated carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and aortic pulse pressure.The primary outcome was incident glaucoma, identified from prescriptions for eye drops or hospital records.

TAKEAWAY:

Overall, 301 people in the study developed glaucoma over a mean follow-up period of 10.5 years.For every standard deviation increase in aortic pulse wave velocity, participants had a 32% higher risk for developing glaucoma (standardized hazard ratio [sHR], 1.32; 95% CI, 1.10-1.60), while estimated carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was associated with a 37% higher risk (sHR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.11-1.70).Incident glaucoma increased across all quartiles of arterial stiffness, with the highest risk observed in the fourth quartile for aortic pulse wave velocity (HR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.36-4.26), estimated carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (HR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.27-4.13), and aortic pulse pressure (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.10-2.82).The cumulative incidence of glaucoma rose with increases in arterial stiffness. This trend was statistically significant for both aortic and estimated pulse wave velocity (P <.0001 and aortic pulse pressure>IN PRACTICE:

“Arterial stiffness…which can be easily and accurately measured, could be used as a tool in clinical practice [as part of routine blood pressure measurement] to help identify people at risk of glaucoma and as a therapeutic target to prevent glaucoma progression,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Angela L. Beros, MPH, of the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, and published online on May 14, 2024, in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

LIMITATIONS:

The cohort study did not clinically assess for glaucoma, potentially leading to the inclusion of individuals with the condition. Not all participants with incident glaucoma, particularly those unaware of their diagnosis, may have been identified. Intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness, which are common risk factors for glaucoma, were not included in the multivariate analysis.