Higher IOP may be marker for CVD

Higher IOP may be a predictable marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in some individuals, according to a study from South Korea published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The researchers found that higher IOP is associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in asymptomatic patients, regardless of the presence of usual cardiovascular risk factors.

The researchers’ cross-sectional study included 10,732 men and women without diagnoses of CVD or glaucoma. They measured CAC using cardiac computed tomography and IOP using a non-contact tonometer and automatic air puff control.

The researchers detected CAC in 13.7% in men and 4.3% of women. They found that increasing levels of right IOP were significantly associated with an increased prevalence of CAC. They adjusted for multiple factors - age, sex, tobacco use, alcohol use, physical activity, body mass index, educational level, centre, family history of CVD, use of dyslipidemia medication, diabetes, hypertension, total cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides - and found that the odds ratios for CAC score >0, comparing 2–4 quartiles of the right IOP with the lowest quartiles, were 1.32, 1.20 and 1.28, respectively. The associations were the same among the clinically relevant subgroups.