Abstract
Purpose: :
To compare the levels of serum homocysteine, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folate in healthy individuals and patients with normal tension glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma.
Methods: :
Thirty-two healthy subjects, and 35 patients with normal tension glaucoma, 22 patients with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, 31 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were included in the study. Fasting venous samples were collected for the overall participants. The levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, folate were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay, the levels of vitamin B6 were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. One-way analysis if variance was used for the comparison of homocysteine, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folate levels among the four groups.
Results: :
The mean homocysteine levels of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma group were 17.91±5.11 μmol/L, 17.60±3.89 μmol/L, which were significantly higher than that of the control group(14.15±4.57 μmol/L) (p=0.014, p=0.013). The mean vitamin B6 levels of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma group were 17.67±14.32 nmol/L, 17.00±10.58 nmol/L, which were significantly lower than that of the control group(32.42.±30.56 nmol/L) (p=0.026, p=0.008). There were no statistical differences in serum vit-B12, folate levels among the four groups (p=0.992 for vitamin B12, p=0.141 for folate).
Conclusions: :
Hyperhomocysteinemia might play a role, as a modifiable risk factor, in the development or progression of high pressure glaucoma types, such as pseudoexfoliation glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma.
Keywords: clinical laboratory testing