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Study: No conclusive relationship between H. pylori and open-angle glaucoma
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SAN FRANCISCO — A prospective case-controlled study presented here found no conclusive relationship between the incidence of infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria and open-angle glaucoma.
Frederick S. Mikelberg, MD, presented results of the study during the annual meeting of the American Glaucoma Society. Dr. Mikelberg noted others have recently published results on approximately 45 Greek patients where a statistically significant relationship between infection and glaucoma was found. In that study, 46% of the control group and 87% of the glaucoma group tested positive for H. pylori infection. Eradication of H. pylori also resulted in a sustained reduction in intraocular pressure of 1.2 mm Hg after 2 years (P = .001).
Dr. Mikelberg and colleagues at the University of British Columbia included 97 patients with glaucoma and 94 age-matched controls in their study. The glaucoma group consisted of 38 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG); 19 patients with normal pressure glaucoma (NPG); 16 patients with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXE); and 24 patients with ocular hypertension (OH). Both groups were similar in ages, with slightly more males in the group with glaucoma.
According to Dr. Mikelberg, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay identified H. pylori-specific IgG antibodies in 26% of the glaucoma patients and 20.2% of the control patients. Of the patients with glaucoma, 26.3% of POAG patients, 26.3 of NPG patients, 25% of PXE patients and 25% of OH patients tested positive for H. pylori.
Dr. Mikelberg said the results indicate no conclusive association between H. pylori and open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.