Early-Onset HTN, Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Early-Onset Glaucoma

FRIDAY, Sept. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Age at diagnosis of hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes (DM2) is associated with early-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), according to a study published online Aug. 31 in Clinical Ophthalmology.

Jeffrey Wooliscroft, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study involving 389 eligible patients with POAG to examine the influence of HTN, DM2, migraine, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on POAG onset. The relative contribution to age at POAG diagnosis was examined in various groups: HTN for patients with or without DM2 (model 1), HTN for patients with DM2 (model 2), DM2 for patients with or without HTN (model 3), and DM2 for patients with HTN (model 4).

The researchers found that age at HTN diagnosis was associated with age at POAG diagnosis in model 1, while in model 2, age at HTN diagnosis was not associated with age at POAG diagnosis. Age at DM2 diagnosis was associated with age at POAG diagnosis in model 3; in model 4, there was also an association seen for age at DM2 diagnosis with age at POAG diagnosis. In model 3, there was an association noted for Asian race/ethnicity with early-onset POAG. OSA and migraine had no impact on POAG onset.

“Patients with early-onset DM2 or HTN may benefit from earlier POAG screening, especially if they have other significant risk factors (i.e., family history),” the authors write.