Family history of glaucoma in the primary and secondary open-angle glaucomas.
BACKGROUND
A study was carried out to evaluate the frequency of a positive family history in the primary and secondary open-angle glaucomas.


METHODS
The study included 1176 patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma who were differentiated into secondary open-angle glaucoma [pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (n=144) and pigmentary glaucoma (n=61)], and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG; n=971). The POAG group was divided into non-highly-myopic patients without ("non-highly-myopic POAG"; n=662) or with circular parapapillary atrophy ("age-related atrophic POAG"; n=168), highly myopic POAG (n=35), and focal normal-pressure glaucoma (n=106). All patients were asked whether family members had glaucoma.


RESULTS
In the POAG group, frequency of a positive family history of glaucoma (overall frequency 24.5%) decreased significantly with age from 35.8% in patients (n=240) younger than 50 years, to 25% in patients (n=501) aged between 51 and 70 years and to 11.7% in patients (n=230) older than 70 years. The overall frequencies of a positive family history of glaucoma did not vary significantly between age-related atrophic POAG, focal normal-pressure glaucoma, pseudoexfoliative glaucoma, and pigmentary glaucoma, compared with age-matched groups of non-highly-myopic POAG. Highly myopic POAG had a lower, but not significantly lower, frequency of a positive family history of glaucoma (17.1% vs 26.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
In POAG, frequency of a known positive family history of glaucoma decreases with increasing age. Apart from juvenile-onset POAG with a relatively high, and highly myopic POAG with a relatively low frequency of known heredity, other primary and secondary open-angle glaucomas do not show pronounced differences in this variable when adjusted for age.
Budde
W M
WM
Department of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. Wido.Budde@augen.med.uni-erlangen.de
Jonas
J B
JB
D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000150:complications