The Relationship of Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure to Intraocular Pressure in Patients with Glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose: : To investigate the relationship between intraocular pressures (IOP), body mass index (BMI) and systemic blood pressure in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG).

Methods: : IOP and systemic blood pressure were examined in patients with OAG at baseline and after 2 years follow up. 31 normal weight, 39 overweight and 27 obese patients were analyzed according to body mass index calculations at each visit. Blood pressure was measured using automated ambulatory measurements after five minutes rest and IOP was measured using Goldmann applination tonometry. Associations between of changes in IOP and blood pressure were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients.

Results: : IOP decreased from baseline to two-year measurement in normal weight (-1.5, 95%CI -2.7-(-0.4)), in overweight (-1.9, 95%CI -3.4-(-0.4)), and in obese (-2.5, 95%CI -3.9-(-1.2)) OAG patients. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from baseline to two-year measurement, although not reaching statistical significance, in normal weight (-3.8, 95%CI -12.3-4.7), in overweight (-2.3 95%CI -8.3-3.8), and in obese (-3.9, 95%CI -10.9-3.2). In normal weight patients, there was a positive correlation between changes in IOP and SBP (r=0.36, p=0.0431). However, no correlations between IOP and SBP changes were observed in an overweight population (r=-0.08, p=0.65) or an obese population (r=0.09, p=0.64). No significant correlations were found with diastolic blood pressure.

Conclusions: : In normal-weight individuals with OAG, changes in SBP are positively correlated to changes in IOP after two years. This relationship between IOP and SBP was not observed for overweight or obese individuals.

Keywords: intraocular pressure • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • detection