Association between helicobacter pylori infection and primary open-angle glaucoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE: This systematic review and meta-analysis summarize the evidence for the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma. METHODS: Eligible studies reporting an association between H. pylori infection and Glaucoma were identified through an extensive search of the Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases and an assessment of the reference list of the top articles until October 2022. Analysis was performed with random effects model using Stata 16. RESULT: Twenty-four studies were included in the systematic review. This study involved 1602 glaucoma patients and 2800 control individuals. The combined RRs of cohort studies and overall combined ORs of case-control studies showed a significant correlation between H. pylori infection and Glaucoma. Subgroup analysis showed that glaucoma patients had a higher risk of having H. pylori infection if they were residents of Europe countries (Cohort: RR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.3–2.19) and (Case-Control: RR: 3.71; 95% CI: 2.07–6.64), if they had POAG type (Cohort: RR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.37–2.27) and (Case-Control: RR: 3.71; 95% CI: 2.934.70), if their diagnostic method of HP was histology (Cohort: RR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.26–3.01) and (Case-Control: RR: 4.06; 95% CI: 2.28–7.22), and if they were over 60 years old (Cohort: RR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.33-2.00) and (Case-Control: RR: 2.95; 95% CI: 2.27–3.83). DISCUSSION: The results of this meta-analysis suggest a statistically significant association between Helicobacter pylori infection and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.