Abstract
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, and as the proportion of those over age 40 increases, so will the prevalence of glaucoma. The pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is unclear and multiple ocular risk factors have been proposed, including intraocular pressure, ocular perfusion pressure, ocular blood flow, myopia, central corneal thickness, and optic disc hemorrhages. The purpose of this review was to analyze the association between systemic vascular risk factors (including hypertension, diabetes, age, and migraine) and POAG, based on major epidemiological studies. Reports presenting the association between POAG and systemic vascular risk factors included a total of over 50,000 patients. Several epidemiological studies confirmed the importance of vascular risk factors, particularly hypertension and blood pressure dipping, in the pathogenesis and progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. We found that diabetes mellitus is associated with elevated intraocular pressure, but has no clear association with POAG. No significant correlation between migraine and POAG was found, however, the definition of migraine varied between studies.
Highlights
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide [1]
Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is defined as a progressive optic neuropathy with loss of ganglion cells and visual field deterioration in eyes with gonioscopically open angles, with or without elevated intraocular pressure (IOP)
Genetic abnormalities are believed to initiate a cascade of events that lead to glaucomatous optic nerve injury and remodeling
Summary
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide [1]. As the proportion of those over age 40 increases, so will the prevalence of glaucoma. Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form of the disease worldwide, in Africa and in the Western countries [3,4,5]. Multiple ocular risk factors have been proposed, including IOP, ocular perfusion pressure, ocular blood flow, myopia, central corneal thickness, and optic disc hemorrhages. Systemic risk factors include age, smoking, African ancestry, family history, genetic factors, systemic hypertension (HTN), low blood pressure (BP) ( a nocturnal drop in BP), atherosclerosis, lipid dysregulation, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), glucose intolerance, obesity, vasospasm, migraine, Raynaud syndrome, stress, and primary vascular dysregulation [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Notwithstanding the role of genetic mutations and variations on glaucoma onset, the role of different systemic risk factors remains debatable
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
