The Role of Systemic Arterial Stiffness in Open-Angle Glaucoma with Diabetes Mellitus

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of systemic arterial stiffness in glaucoma patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). DESIGN: Retrospective, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: DM subjects who underwent brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were recruited. METHODS: Glaucoma patients (n = 75) and age-matched control subjects (n = 92) were enrolled. Systemic examination including BaPWV and detailed eye examination were performed. The glaucoma group was divided into subgroups of normal tension glaucoma (NTG, n = 55) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) based on an IOP of 21 mmHg. BaPWV was used to stratify the population into 4 groups based on the rate. Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis by baPWV quartiles was used to compare the glaucoma group with the control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BaPWV in glaucoma with DM patients. RESULTS: Faster baPWV was positively associated with glaucoma (odds ratio: 3.74; 95% CI: 1.03-13.56, stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis) in patients with DM. Increasing baPWV was also positively associated with glaucoma (p for trend = 0.036). The NTG subgroup showed similar results to those of the glaucoma group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, increased arterial stiffness was shown to be associated with glaucoma and may contribute to the pathogenesis of glaucoma in DM patients.