Higher intraocular pressure is associated with leukoaraiosis among middle-aged and elderly Koreans without glaucoma or dementia

Aim

Leukoaraiosis and high intraocular pressure are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, vascular angiopathy, and geriatric syndrome. Until now, little is known about the relationship between intraocular pressure and leukoaraiosis in its preclinical stage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between intraocular pressure and leukoaraiosis among middle-aged and elderly Koreans without glaucoma or dementia.

Methods

We examined the relationship of intraocular pressure with leukoaraiosis at a preclinical stage in 753 Korean adults (474 men, 279 women; mean age 57.8±6.6 years). A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed in order to determine whether intraocular pressure is an independent determinant for leukoaraiosis.

Results

The overall prevalence of leukoaraiosis was 7.3%. Mean ocular pressure (±SD) was significantly higher in the leukoaraiosis group than the control group (14.3±2.9 and 13.5±2.9, respectively; P=0.028). In multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for leukoaraiosis was 1.18 (95% confidence interval: 1.06–1.31) for each 1 mm Hg increase in intraocular pressure.

Conclusion

Intraocular pressure was found to be independently and positively associated with leukoaraiosis. This finding indicates that higher intraocular pressure may be a useful additional measure in assessing the risk of leukoaraiosis in the clinical setting.