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. 2022 Mar 2;63(3):28.
doi: 10.1167/iovs.63.3.28.

Systemic Arterial Stiffness Is Associated With Structural Progression in Early Open-Angle Glaucoma

Jihei Sara Lee  1 , Hyoung Won Bae  1 , Sungeun Park  1 , Chan Yun Kim  1 , Sang Yeop Lee  1   2
Affiliations

Systemic Arterial Stiffness Is Associated With Structural Progression in Early Open-Angle Glaucoma

Jihei Sara Lee et al. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. .

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose was to identify association between systemic arterial stiffness predicted by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) and initial location of structural progression in early open-angle glaucoma.

Methods: Patients with early open-angle glaucoma who underwent PWV measurements were subjected to a retrospective review of medical records. A total of 160 eyes of 160 patients were subjected to analyses. Patients were categorized into three PWV groups. Structural progression was determined using event-based analysis of the Guided Progression Analysis software of Cirrus optical coherence tomography.

Results: Thirty-eight patients had a PWV of 1400 cm/s or less on both the left and right sides (low PWV, 39.5% females, 53.9 ± 8.8 years old), and 46 patients showed a PWV of 1800 cm/s or more on either side (high PWV; 54.3% females, 71.3 ± 5.8 years old). The rest of the patients had an intermediate PWV (n = 76, 50.0% females, 59.8 ± 8.6 years old). Among patients who showed progression in 69.3 ± 41.5 months, macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) loss preceded peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (ppRNFL) loss in 86.7% of high PWV group (n = 15, 60.0% females, 70.0 ± 6.0 years old) in comparison with 26.7% of the low PWV group (P = 0.002). The PWV was significantly higher in patients whose structural progression was first observed at mGCIPL (1744.1 ± 347.7 cm/s) than patients whose initial location was ppRNFL (1452.0 ± 201.0 cm/s; P = 0.012). A high PWV was associated with increased likelihood of structural progression at mGCIPL (odds ratio, 7.484; 95% confidence interval, 1.212-49.196; P = 0.030) among patients who showed progression.

Conclusions: PWV is a significant predictor of the location of structural progression in open-angle glaucoma. Vascular insufficiency may be an important aspect in the pathogenesis of glaucoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: J.S. Lee, None; H.W. Bae, None; S. Park, None; C.Y. Kim, None; S.Y. Lee, None

Figures

Figure.
Figure.
Comparisons of PWV depending on the location of initial structural progression. Patients who showed structural progression at mGCIPL first showed significantly higher PWV on both right (A) and left (B) sides in comparison to those who showed initial structural progression at ppRNFL. *P < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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