Evidence of circadian biological rhythm alterations in glaucoma patients

Abstract

Purpose : To evaluate the circadian rhythms of temperature, activity and body position of patients with glaucoma compared to controls.

Methods : Twenty patients diagnosed with primary open glaucoma (70.6 yrs ± 6.70) were subjected to ambulatory monitoring of wrist temperature, activity and body position using an actimeter (Hobo® Pendant G Acceleration Data Logger) and a temperature sensor (Thermochron® iButton DS1921H, Dallas, Maxim) for one week. The rhythm assessment was based on Interdaily Stability (IS), Intradaily Variability (IV), Relative Amplitude (RA) and Circadian Function Index (CFI) parameters. T-test analyses were used to compare these parameters in glaucoma patients and 19 healthy subjects (71.7 yrs ± 1.4) obtained from Tudela et al. (2014) study.

Results : The IV (0.13 ± 0.01) and CFI (0.46 ± 0.01) from the wrist temperature of glaucoma patients were lower compared to controls (IV: 0,20 ± 0.01; CFI: 0.55 ± 0.01, respectively, ps<0.01). In activity, IS (0.33 ± 0.03) and CFI (0.55 ± 0.01) were smaller than controls (IS: 0,45 ± 0.01; CFI: 0.62 ± 0.01, respectively, ps≤0.01). Also, for body position, RA from glaucoma and control group was significantly different (0.20 ± 0.01 and 0.47 ± 0,03, respectively p<0,01). Finally, CFI for glaucoma patients (0.35 ± 0.01) was significantly lower than in controls (0.61 ± 0.01 p<0,01). Other comparisons were not significant (p>0.05).

Conclusions : These preliminary results suggest that temperature, body position and activity circadian rhythms are globally affected in glaucoma. Although, previous studies showed that the intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are also damaged in glaucoma disease, there are few studies evaluating their clinical repercussions in the biological circadian rhythm in glaucoma patients. Furthermore, multiple-rhythm assessment using actigraphy and temperature sensor could be a relevant tool for understand the pathophysiology of glaucoma.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.