C-reactive protein levels in normal tension glaucoma

PURPOSE: To determine C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG). METHODS: This study included 20 cases with NTG and 30 controls, with no history of ocular disease. Plasma CRP levels of all the study participants were determined using a highly sensitive CRP kit. RESULTS: Twenty cases (11 males, 9 females, mean age 69 +/- 5 years) with NTG and 30 age-matched controls (15 males, 15 females, mean age 68 +/- 6) were evaluated. Both groups had similar demographic parameters (age, sex, BMI). Plasma CRP levels were significantly higher in the NTG cases than in controls (median [range], 3.20 [0.17-8.4] mg/dL compared with 0.5 [0.1-3.2], P < 0.001). The mean plasma CRP level was significantly elevated in the NTG cases compared with the controls (3.21 +/- 0.6 mg/dL and 0.85 +/- 0.17 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that higher CRP levels may be associated with NTG. It is possible that a vascular inflammatory process is involved in the etiology of this glaucoma.