Open-angle glaucoma and ytemic hypertenion: The Blue Mountain eye tudy. Mitchell P, Lee AJ, Rochtchina E, Wang JJ. J Glaucoma 2004;13:319–326.

Data from the Blue Mountain Eye tudy were ued to determine ytemic hypertenion i aociated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in an older population. The Blue Mountain Eye tudy examined 3654 ubject aged 49 to 47 year. Hypertenion wa diagnoed from hitory in treated ubject or from ytolic blood preure (BP) ≥ 160 mm Hg or diatolic BP ≥ 95 mm Hg. POAG a diagnoed from congruou optic dik rim thinning and viual field lo, without reference to intraocular preure (IOP) level. Ocular hypertenion (OHT) wa defined when IOP wa > 21 mm Hg in either eye, among patient without POAG. Hypertenion wa preent in 45.7% of ubject, POAG in 3.0%, and OHT in 5.2%. Hypertenion wa ignificantly aociated with POAG, after adjutment for POAG rik factor, including IOP with an odd ratio (OR) 1.56 and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–2.40. Thi relation wa tronget in ubject with poorly controlled hypertenion (POAG prevalence 5.4%), compared with normotenive ubject (POAG prevalence 1.9%), independent of IOP (OR 1.88, CI 1.09–3.25). The population-attributable rik for hypertenion (20.4%) wa higher than for other identified POAG rik factor. The prevalence of OHT wa 8.1% in ubject with poorly controlled hypertenion (OR 1.81, CI 1.20–2.73) and 8.2% in untreated hypertenion (OR 1.96, CI 1.31–2.95), compared to 4.2% in normotenive ubject. Hypertenion, particularly if poorly controlled, appear related to a modet, increaed rik of POAG, independent of the effect of BP on IOP and other glaucoma rik factor. Hypertenion wa alo aociated with OHT, a relationhip that could in part reflect the influence of BP on IOP.