The prevalence of diabetes among male glaucoma patients

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between diabetes and glaucoma.Methods: Consecutive 143 subjects with primary angle-closure glaucoma and 127 subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma (control) were studied retrospectively at an urban Veterans Administration Hospital. In addition to ocular examination findings, body mass index (BMI) and diabetes mellitus (DM) status were recorded.Results: All subjects in this study were male. The mean age was 72.3 years old in primary open angle versus 71.1 in primary angle-closure subjects. Half of the subjects with angle closure and 70% of open-angle subjects were self-identified as African–American. BMI was not significantly different between the two groups (28.2 in open angle vs. 28.7 in angle closure; P = 0.45). The percentage of DM was higher in subjects with primary angle closure than in those with primary open-angle glaucoma (43% vs. 29%, P = 0.001; Chi-square test). The odds of having DM were nearly two times higher in angle-closure subjects than open-angle subjects (Logistic regression, P = 0.01, 95% confidence interval: 1.17–3.30).Conclusion: In this retrospective study, diabetes was found to be associated with higher risk for primary angle-closure glaucoma.