Glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease: an 8-year population-based follow-up study

I-Chan Lin; Yuan-Hung Wang; Tsung-Jen Wang; I-Jong Wang; Yun-Dun Shen; Nai-Fang Chi; Li-Nien Chien

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108938

Glaucoma, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease: an 8-year population-based follow-up study

PLoS One. 2014 Oct 2;9(9):e108938. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108938. eCollection 2014.

Authors

I-Chan Lin¹, Yuan-Hung Wang², Tsung-Jen Wang³, I-Jong Wang⁴, Yun-Dun Shen, Nai-Fang Chi⁵, Li-Nien Chien⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, National Taiwan University Hospital, School of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ School of Health Care Administration, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common type of glaucoma. An association between POAG and the subsequent risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) was unclear.

Objective: To investigate the association between POAG (including normal-tension glaucoma) and the subsequent risk of AD or PD 8 years following a diagnosis of POAG.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, propensity-score-matched analysis of a population-based cohort consisting of patients with and without POAG aged 60 years and older. Control patients without POAG were propensity-score matched to POAG patients based on their baseline characteristics.

Results: The incidence rates and confidence intervals (CIs) of AD among the patients with and without POAG were 2.85 (95% CI: 2.19-3.70) and 1.98 (95% CI: 1.68-2.31) per 1000 person-years, respectively. The incidence rates of PD among the POAG and non-POAG cohorts were 4.36 (95% CI: 3.52-5.39) and 4.37 (95% CI: 3.92-4.86) per 1000 person-years, respectively. Kaplan-Meier failure curves showed that the POAG patients had a higher risk of AD than the control patients did (log-rank test, P= .0189). However, the cumulative PD hazard ratios for the POAG and non-POAG patients did not differ significantly (log-rank test, P= .9953).

Conclusion: In elderly patients, POAG is a significant predictor of AD, but POAG is not a predictor of PD.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alzheimer Disease / epidemiology
Alzheimer Disease / etiology*
Cohort Studies
Comorbidity
Demography
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Glaucoma, Open-Angle / complications*
Glaucoma, Open-Angle / epidemiology
Humans
Incidence
Kaplan-Meier Estimate
Male
Middle Aged
Parkinson Disease / epidemiology
Parkinson Disease / etiology*
Taiwan / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Health and Clinical Research Data Center, Taipei Medical University; National Science Council (NSC 102-2314-B-038-054-MY3), Taiwan. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.