Major Eye Diseases and Risk Factors Associated with Systemic Hypertension in an Adult Chinese Population: The Beijing Eye Study
Received 16 February 2009; received in revised form 21 April 2009; accepted 29 May 2009. published online 07 October 2009.
Purpose
To assess the relationship of hypertension with major eye diseases and other ocular parameters.
Design
Population-based study.
Participants
The Beijing Eye Study is a population-based study that included 4439 Chinese subjects examined at the baseline examination in 2001; there was a follow-up examination in 2006, in which 3251 subjects participated, of whom 3222 had blood pressure measurements.
Methods
All participants underwent an ophthalmic examination, anthropometric measurements, and blood pressure measurement. Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, and/or self-reported current treatment for hypertension with antihypertensive medication.
Main Outcome Measures
Blood pressure and ocular parameters, including intraocular pressure and prevalence of major ophthalmic diseases.
Results
Mean age of participants in the present study was 60.4±10.0 years. Hypertension was present in 1500 (46.6%) of the 3222 subjects who had their blood pressure measured. In multiple regression analysis, hypertension was associated with higher intraocular pressure (β = 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12–0.66; P = 0.005), focal arteriolar narrowing (odds ratio [OR], 1.78; 95% CI, 1.34–2.36; P<0.001), arteriovenous nicking (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.11–2.04; P = 0.009), generalized retinal arteriolar narrowing (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.30–2.09; P<0.001), retinal vein occlusions (OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.21–6.80; P = 0.02), and diabetic retinopathy (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.08–3.31; P = 0.02). Hypertension was not significantly associated with the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma (P = 0.19), angle-closure glaucoma (P = 0.15), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (P = 0.73), nuclear cataract (P = 0.88), posterior subcapsular cataract (P = 0.30), cortical cataract (P = 0.10), or area of alpha zone (P = 0.05) or beta zone of parapapillary atrophy (P = 0.95).
Conclusions
In Chinese persons, while controlling for other systemic parameters, hypertension was associated with increased intraocular pressure, retinal microvascular abnormalities, and prevalence of retinal vein occlusion and diabetic retinopathy. Hypertension was not associated significantly with AMD, age-related cataract, or glaucoma.
Financial Disclosure(s)
The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
1Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital University of Medical Science, Beijing, China
2Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
3Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
4Singapore Eye Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Correspondence: Liang Xu, MD, Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, 17 Hougou Street, Chong Wen Men, 100005 Beijing, China
Dr Tien Wong, University of Melbourne, 32 Gisborne Street, East Melbourne 3002, Australia
Available online: October 7, 2009.
Manuscript no. 2009-219.
Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Supported by Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation and Bureau of International Cooperation, Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission.
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