High frequency of open-angle glaucoma in Japanese patients with Alzheimer's disease

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences 2006-07, Vol.246 (1), p.79-83
• Main Authors: Tamura, Hiroki, Kawakami, Hideshi, Kanamoto, Takashi, Kato, Tomoko, Yokoyama, Tomoko, Sasaki, Ken, Izumi, Yuishin, Matsumoto, Masayasu, Mishima, Hiromu K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alleles; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology; Alzheimer Disease - genetics; Alzheimer's disease; APOE; apolipoprotein E; Apolipoproteins E - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Gene Frequency; Genotype; Glaucoma, Open-Angle - complications; Glaucoma, Open-Angle - epidemiology; Glaucoma, Open-Angle - genetics; Humans; Intraocular pressure; IOP; Japan - epidemiology; Japanese; Male; Medical sciences; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; OAG; open-angle glaucoma; Polymorphism; Prevalence; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2006.02.009

The clinical and genetic relationships between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and glaucoma remain obscure. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in patients with AD and whether the apolipoprotein E ( APOE) 4 allele is associated with AD, with or without OAG, in Japanese. The groups consisted of 172 patients with the diagnostic criteria of AD and 176 age-matched controls. Ophthalmic examinations were conducted, and genomic analysis was performed by PCR and digestion of products with an enzyme. OAG was found in 41 (23.8%) of the AD patients, which was a significantly ( p = 0.0002) higher prevalence than that in the controls (9.9%). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between intraocular pressures (IOPs) in AD patients with OAG and without OAG. The percentage of AD patients who carried an APOE ε4 allele (29.5%) was significantly ( p = 0.0007) higher than that of the controls (9.1%). However, the percentage of AD patients with OAG who carried an APOE ε4 allele (35.7%) was not significantly different than that of AD patients without OAG (27.7%, p = 0.42). In summary, the prevalence of OAG is high in Japanese patients with AD, suggesting that common factors other than APOE may contribute to the two diseases.