Is normal-tension glaucoma a risk factor for stroke?—A 10-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) have a higher incidence of stroke. DESIGN: A population-based retrospective cohort study based on data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from the NHIRD. A total of 245 (20.1%) patients with a history of stroke at the time of glaucoma diagnosis were excluded, and 1,218 patients with NTG who were 20 years of age and older were identified. Patients’ age, gender and pre-existing comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation and disorders of lipid metabolism, were recorded. The propensity score method with a 1:5 matching ratio was used to minimize selection bias. Cox regression with robust variance estimation was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of developing stroke between the NTG and control groups. RESULTS: After adjusting for patient age, gender, and pre-existing comorbidities, the HR was 6.34, indicating that the incidence of stroke was significantly higher in patients with NTG than in controls. Furthermore, a higher risk of stroke was also found in most subgroups with the above-mentioned comorbidities. CONCLUSION: NTG is a significant risk factor for subsequent stroke in most of the described comorbidity subgroups. Early interventions for stroke prevention should be provided to newly diagnosed patients with NTG.