Systemic Arterial Stiffness in Glaucoma Patients

PURPOSE: To investigate systemic arterial stiffness in glaucoma patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty glaucoma patients and 121 control subjects were enrolled in the study. Among these subjects, 51 glaucoma patients [normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), 31; primary open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (POAG/OH): 20] and 61 control subjects without glaucoma, who presented with no risk factors for arteriosclerosis, were extracted for further analysis of systemic arterial stiffness by glaucoma type. Subjects presenting with risk factors for arteriosclerosis were classified into group A, and those presenting with no risk factors were classified into group B. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker of systemic arterial stiffness, was determined with a volume-plethysmographic apparatus. The correlation between baPWV and mean deviation obtained from Humphrey Field Analyzer program 30-2 test was compared between 13 each of age-matched and sex-matched NTG and POAG/OH patients. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in baPWV between groups A and B [P<0.0001; 1748+/-393 cm/s (group A) and 1467+/-282 cm/s (group B)]. The baPWVs of control, NTG patients, and POAG/OH patients with no risk factors showed no significant difference. baPWV was positively correlated with age in all the 3 groups, but there were no significant differences among the 3 groups. baPWV tended to be negatively correlated with mean deviation in NTG patients (r2=0.25, P=0.08); in contrast, no correlation was observed in POAG/OH patients. CONCLUSION: Systemic arterial stiffness seems not to be strongly associated with glaucoma.