This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Study suggests possible link between H. pylori infection and normal tension glaucoma
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.2011;52(2):665-668.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Helicobacter pylori infection may increase the risk of normal tension glaucoma, a study found.
"H. pylori may play a role in the development or progression of NTG as a secondary aggravating factor because of the coexistence of other main causes or it may be the primary cause," the study authors said.
The retrospective study included 100 NTG patients (group 1) and 88 controls (control group 1) from an outpatient glaucoma clinic and 104 NTG patients (group 2) and 1,116 controls (control group 2) from a primary health care center.
Investigators analyzed serum samples for H. pylori-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies. They compared distributions of serologic H. pylori test results from NTG patients and controls, and they assessed possible associations between clinical phenotypes and positive serologic results.
Study data showed that NTG patients had appreciably more positive serologic results than healthy controls.
Results showed statistically significant differences between group 1 and control group 1 patients (P = .020), group 1 and control group 2 patients (P = .016) and group 2 and control group 2 patients (P = .008).
Investigators found no distinct relationship between clinical characteristics and a positive serologic result for H. pylori among patients with NTG.
In this study, systemic Helicobacter pylori infection is linked with an increased risk of developing normal tension glaucoma. Interestingly, H. pylori infection has been associated with numerous eye diseases including Sjögren syndrome, blepharitis, central serous chorioretinopathy and uveitis. Investigators propose that this infection influences the pathophysiology of glaucoma by releasing various pro-inflammatory and vasoactive substances that damage the trabecular meshwork and optic nerve head, as well as by potentially influencing the apoptotic process. It is difficult to understand how H. pylori infection can be linked to such varied pathologies. Furthermore, conflicting published peer-reviewed studies dispute this notion. Additional research must be performed to validate the findings of this study.
– Steven D. Vold, MD
President and CEO,
Boozman-Hof Eye Clinic, P.A., Rogers, Ark.