Blood pressure dips may be more frequent in normal-tension glaucoma

Excessive, repetitive nocturnal drops in blood pressure may be more frequent in patients with normal tension glaucoma than in those with high-tension glaucoma or ocular hypertension, a study suggests. These dips may be related to the development of glaucomatous damage, according to researchers at the Uludag University School of Medicine, Turkey.

B. Yazici and colleagues monitored the systemic blood pressures of 18 patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG), 22 patients with high tension glaucoma and 19 patients with ocular hypertension. Readings were taken every 20 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes during the night.

Maximum, minimum and mean values for systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures were not significantly different between the groups. However, the number of blood pressure readings below 90 mm Hg was significantly higher in patients with NTG (P < .001).

The authors note that although there may not be a difference between these groups of patients in ambulatory blood pressure values, review of each patient’s ambulatory readings may indicate repetitive drops in blood pressure are more frequent in some NTG patients.

Their study is published in Nature.