Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To evaluate cardiovascular risk factors and events in glaucoma patients with and without peripapillary focal arteriolar narrowing of retinal vessels. Methods: We examined the fundus photographs of 325 consecutive glaucoma patients for evidence of focal arteriolar narrowing adjacent to the optic disc. Patients were divided into two groups: cases with proximal narrowing and controls without such narrowing. Cases and controls were matched for age, race, sex, and mean deviation on Humphrey visual fields. Medical information regarding cardiovascular risk factors and events was collected from patients' primary care physicians, and this information was confirmed by questionnaires sent to the patients themselves. Results: A total of fifty-eight pairs of cases and controls were matched. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was exactly equal in both groups, 65.5% and 27.6%, respectively. Similarly, the prevalence of myocardial infarction , cardiac surgery, angioplasty, family history of heart disease, and smoking was nearly identical in both groups. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of strokes or transient ischemic attacks. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and mortality was greater in the case group (mean differences of 8.6, p=0.42 and 5.2, p=0.25, respectively); however, these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results of our study show that there is no significant relationship between proximal focal arteriolar narrowing of retinal vessels and cardiovascular risk factors or events in patients with glaucoma. Proximal narrowing does not appear to be a marker of systemic vascular disease.
Keywords: 355 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • 331 blood supply • 498 optic disc