PubMed ID: 39934714
Author(s): Becerra CMC, Funk RO, Kohli D, Hodge DO, Roddy GW. Evaluating the association between autoimmune disease and normal tension glaucoma: a retrospective case-control study. BMC Ophthalmol. 2025 Feb 11;25(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s12886-025-03893-4. PMID 39934714
Journal: Bmc Ophthalmology, Volume 25, Issue 1, Feb 2025
BACKGROUND Limited population-based data as well as proposed mechanisms of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss suggest autoimmune disease may be a risk factor for glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Though intraocular pressure (IOP) is the leading risk factor for glaucoma onset and progression, a subset of glaucoma referred to as normal tension glaucoma (NTG) may be more likely to be associated with IOP-independent mechanisms of RGC injury including those of an inflammatory or immune nature.
METHODS This retrospective case-control study enrolled 277 patients with NTG and the same number of age- and sex-matched controls to determine whether autoimmune disease diagnosis, treatment thereof, or relevant laboratory markers are associated with NTG.
RESULTS There was no significant difference between the two groups in frequency of autoimmune disease overall, autoimmune disease catagorized by mechanism or organ involvement, or individual autoimmune disease including psoriasis (6% vs. 5%), rheumatoid arthritis (5% vs. 4%), inflammatory bowel disease (2% vs. 3%), Sjögren’s syndrome (1% vs. 1%), sarcoidosis (1% vs. 1%), autoimmune thyroiditis (1% vs. 0%), type 1 diabetes (1% vs. 0%), or systemic lupus erythematosus (1% vs. 0%). There was also no significant difference in laboratory values or treatment of identified autoimmune conditions.
CONCLUSIONS Our study found no significant association between autoimmune disease and NTG, suggesting that other factors may play a more significant role in the pathogenesis of NTG.
© 2025. The Author(s).