Purpose: To investigate the serum lipid levels in pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome and its association with systemic vascular disorders.
Materials and methods: Patients were divided into three groups: 52 patients with PEX syndrome (group 1), 20 patients with PEX glaucoma (group 2), and 47 control subjects without PEX syndrome or glaucoma (group 3). The fasting serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels were evaluated by Beckman Coulter DXC 800/USA biochemical analyzer.
Results: The mean LDL values were 138 ± 33 mg/dl in group 1, 150 ± 37 mg/dl in group 2, and 127 ± 36 mg/dl in group 3. The mean LDL values in groups 1 and 2 were found to be significantly higher than that of group 3 (p = 0.04). The patients in groups 1 and 2 were more often diabetic and hypertensive than group 3 (p < 0.008, p < 0.005, respectively).
Conclusion: Increased LDL values are significantly associated with PEX.
Keywords: Low-density lipoprotein; pseudoexfoliation glaucoma; pseudoexfoliation syndrome; serum lipids; vascular diseases.