Abstract
Purpose :
We performed a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the temporal association between a new diagnosis of glaucoma and the subsequent onset of psychiatric disorders.
Methods :
TriNetX (Cambridge, MA, USA), a federated electronic health records research network was used to identify a total of 468,480 individuals with the diagnosis of glaucoma using a series of ICD-10 codes (H40 category) and were stratified into cohorts based on age at the time of diagnosis. Each subject was then matched to a control without the diagnosis of glaucoma based on age, sex, race, BMI, and the presence or absence of essential hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, nicotine dependence, and alcohol related disorders. The primary endpoint of the study was the incidence of a new psychiatric disorder within 90-days of being diagnosed with glaucoma compared to matched controls. Data compilation and analysis were done through Microsoft Excel.
Results :
Subjects in the 25-35 and 36-49 years of age cohorts did not show a statistically significant increase in the incidence of psychiatric disorder within 90-days of being diagnosed with glaucoma compared to matched controls. Subjects in the 50-64 years of age cohort showed a statistically significant higher risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder [RR 1.23, 95% 1.04-1.45] and adjustment disorder [RR 1.21, 95% 1.02-1.43] in the first 90-days after a new diagnosis of glaucoma compared to matched controls. Subjects in the 65 years of age and over cohort showed a statistically significant higher risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder [RR 1.550, 95% 1.41-1.7], adjustment disorder [RR 1.62, 95% 1.47-1.79], persistent mood disorders [RR 1.24, 95% 1.11-1.38], and panic disorders [RR 1.24, 95% 1.05-1.47] in the first 90-days after a new diagnosis of glaucoma compared to matched controls.
Conclusions :
Patients over the age of 50 with a new diagnosis of glaucoma are at a significantly higher risk of developing new psychiatric disorders shortly after receiving a new diagnosis of glaucoma. Increased awareness of these associations can lead to improved patient care by employing an early multidisciplinary approach to address these comorbidities.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.