Higher levels of LDL-C, HDL-C, and total cholesterol tied to increased intraocular pressure
UK: Serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was found to be positively associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) in a cohort of 100,000 patients. Further, triglycerides (TGs) were found to be negatively associated. These are the results from a recent study published in the journal Ophthalmology.
"An increase by one standard deviation in the cholesterol levels was associated with an IOP increase of 0.07-0.19 mmHg," Kian M. Madjedi, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK, and colleagues wrote in their study.
Serum lipids are modifiable, and routinely collected blood tests that are associated with cardiovascular health. Dr. Madjedi and colleagues aimed to investigate the association of commonly collected serum lipid measures (total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides with intraocular pressure.
For this purpose, the researchers included a total of 94 323 participants of UK Biobank and 6 230 participants of EPIC-Norfolk (mean age 68 years) with data on LDL-C, TG, HDL-C, and TC collected between 2006-2009. The associations of serum lipids with IOPcc were examined using multivariable linear regression after adjusting for lifestyle, demographic, anthropometric, medical and ophthalmic covariables.
The findings of the study were as follows:
· Higher levels of TC, HDL-C and LDL-C were independently associated with higher IOPcc in both cohorts after adjustment for key demographic, medical and lifestyle factors.
· For each standard deviation increase in TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C, IOPcc (mmHg) was higher by 0.09, 0.11, 0.07, respectively in the UK Biobank cohort.
· In the EPIC-Norfolk cohort, each additional standard deviation in TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C was associated with a higher IOPcc (mmHg) by 0.19, 0.14, and 0.17.
· An inverse association between TGs and IOP in the UK Biobank was not replicated in the EPIC cohort.
"The results suggest that serum TC, HDL-C and LDL-C are positively associated with IOP in two UK cohorts and TGs may be negatively associated," wrote the authors. "Future research is required to assess whether these associations are causal in nature."
Reference:
Madjedi KM, Stuart KV, Chua SYL, Luben RN, Warwick A, Pasquale LR, Kang JH, Wiggs JL, Lentjes MAH, Aschard H, Sattar N, Foster PJ, Khawaja AP; Modifiable Risk Factors for Glaucoma Collaboration and the UK Biobank Eye and Vision Consortium. The association between serum lipids and intraocular pressure in two large UK cohorts. Ophthalmology. 2022 Apr 29:S0161-6420(22)00311-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2022.04.023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35500606.
