Risk factors for primary open-angle glaucoma in Japanese subjects attending community health screenings

Makoto Ishikawa, Yu Sawada, Noriko Sato, Takeshi Yoshitomi
Department of Ophthalmology, Akita Graduate University School of Medicine, Akita, Japan

Background/aims: To describe risk factors associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in Japanese subjects who participated in community health screenings.
Methods: Residents of Akita, Japan, participating in a community health checkup were selected to undergo a comprehensive ophthalmic examination. Glaucoma was diagnosed based on optic disk appearance, perimetric results, and other ocular findings. Systemic blood pressure and intraocular pressure were measured and ocular perfusion pressure was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors for POAG patients.
Results and conclusion: Of the 710 subjects examined, 26 had POAG. The estimated prevalence of POAG was 3.7%. After adjusting for age, the prevalence of POAG was similar to that found in the Tajimi Study of Japanese subjects. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that older age (≥60 years, odds ratio [OR]: 3.49), lower diastolic blood pressure (≤58 mmHg, OR: 2.11), higher intraocular pressure (≥19 mmHg, OR: 4.12), and lower ocular perfusion pressure (≤34 mmHg, OR: 5.78) were associated with increased risk of having POAG. These findings may be relevant for identifying high risk groups.

Keywords: glaucoma, community health screening, risk factors