To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: AAO: Elevated Homocysteine May Be Linked to Glaucoma URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/220D32.htm Doctor's Guide October 22, 2002
By Cameron Johnston Special to DG News ORLANDO, FL -- October 22, 2002 -- Hyperhomocysteinemia could be a significant risk factor for a particular type of glaucoma - and patients who are at risk for developing glaucoma should be screened for the condition. This study finding was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. According to Dr. Roberto Vessani, of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, elevated serum homocysteine levels are seen more frequently in people with a condition known as exfoliation syndrome than it is in healthy controls, but an even greater number with exfoliation related glaucoma also have elevated homocysteine. Exfoliation syndrome is caused by abnormal basement membranes which probably come from the epithelium of the iris, although this is not proven. This debris appears in the posterior part of the anterior chamber and blocks the trabecular meshwork causing glaucoma. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been associated with systemic vascular disease as well as an increased risk of stroke and Alzheimer's disease. In this study, Dr. Vessani studied 100 patients and 24 controls, monitoring their homocysteine levels and determined that those who had exfoliation syndrome also had more hypertension (44 percent) and diseases of the peripheral or coronary arteries (28 percent) than either those with exfoliation-related glaucoma (32.7 percent and 24.5 percent respectively) or normal tension glaucoma. The odds ratio that a person with elevated homocysteine would have exfoliation syndrome was 1.47, while the odds ratio that he or she would have glaucoma related to exfoliation syndrome was 1.32. Elevated homocysteine was also seen in those with normal tension glaucoma where the odds ratio was 1.2. These findings were independent of other risk factors for glaucoma such as age, gender, race, or family history of cardiovascular disease. The cut-off point for defining hyperhomocysteinemia in this study was 9 micromol per litre. While he stopped short of saying hyperhomocysteinemia was a direct cause of glaucoma, Dr. Vassani said this could suggest a continuing link with other forms of vascular disease and therefore people who are at high risk for vascular disease should be screened for glaucoma, and those who have glaucoma could also have asymptomatic vascular pathologies. "Whether hyperhomcysteinemia is a causative factor or a risk factor for systemic vascular disease, this should be evaluated," he said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.