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Greek population has higher prevalence of pseudoexfoliation
J Glaucoma. 2011;20(3):160-166.
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Pseudoexfoliation was found to be more prevalent in Greece than in other white populations, and it was associated with higher IOP and a higher percentage of patients with optic disc damage, a study found.
The Thessaloniki Eye Study is evaluating chronic eye diseases in Thessaloniki, Greece. Of the 2,261 clinic-visit participants, 270 (11.9%) had pseudoexfoliation in at least one eye.
Compared with non-pseudoexfoliation patients, those with pseudoexfoliation had higher IOP, larger vertical cup-to-disc ratio, and a higher percentage with vertical cup-to-disc ratio asymmetry and optic disc damage, the study said.
In addition, 15.2% of patients with pseudoexfoliation were diagnosed with glaucoma, while 4.7% of non-pseudoexfoliation patients had glaucoma.
When researchers excluded glaucoma patients, the only difference between the groups was that pseudoexfoliation patients had IOP that was 0.6 mm Hg higher, especially when the pseudoexfoliation was on the iris only or on both the iris and the lens, the study said.
Although separate studies have linked pseudoexfoliation with an increased risk for cardiovascular or cerebrovascular morbidities, no associations were observed in this study.