Short-term variability of systemic blood pressure and submacular choroidal blood flow in eyes of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse short-term variability of systemic blood pressure and choroidal blood flow in glaucoma patients, and compare them with ocular hypertensive patients and controls.


METHODS
Thirty untreated patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), 25 untreated patients with ocular hypertension (OHT) and 50 healthy controls without local therapy were included in the study. Continuous 5-minute measurements of arterial systemic blood pressure (SBP) by Finometer and choroidal blood flow (CBF) by laser Doppler flowmetry were obtained. Variability of SBP and CBF was analysed by means of coefficient of variation and analyzed in ANOVA model. Linear regression analysis was performed on parameters of morphological (nerve fiber layer thickness) and functional glaucomatous damage (visual field) on one side, and between SBP and CBF on the other side.


RESULTS
ANOVA model demonstrated significant differences in variability between the groups (p = 0.003); post-hoc analysis specified a significantly higher short-term variability of both the blood pressure and choroidal blood flow in POAG patients (coefficients of variation: 3.33% +/- 1.05% and 3.90% +/- 2.17% respectively) than in healthy controls (coefficient of variation: 2.57% +/- 0.80% and 2.94% +/- 1.52% respectively). No significant differences were found for OHT patients.


CONCLUSIONS
POAG patients without local therapy demonstrate an increased short-term BP and CBF variability.
Kochkorov
Asan
A
Ophthalmology Department, University Hospital Basel, Mittlerestr. 91, CH-4031, Basel, Switzerland.
Gugleta
Konstantin
K
Katamay
Robert
R
Flammer
Josef
J
Orgul
Selim
S
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology