A growing body of research is linking autoimmunity with neurodegeneration in glaucoma beyond damage caused by intraocular eye pressure. Some of the latest research suggests that rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common autoimmune disease, can be used to predict primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). The findings may represent further progress in the treatment, management, and prevention of the disease. 

Study Design: What the Researchers Did

Scientists from multiple departments within Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, used patients’ health data stored in South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)–Senior cohort from 2002 to 2013. The diagnosis of POAG was the primary outcome. Data from 10,245 patients, 73% of whom were women with an average age of 67 years, was analyzed. The goal was to identify the likelihood of POAG in RA patients versus those with other cohorts. 

What They Found

Perhaps the most important data point unearthed by the study was that incidence rates of POAG (the ratio of new cases to the total follow-up time) were 981 vs. 679.5 per 10,000 person-years in the RA group vs the control group, respectively. Person-years are calculated by multiplying the number of people in a study by the collective number of years that they participated in the study. 

The researchers also found that increased POAG risk in the RA cohort was predominantly observed two years into the follow-up period, and in participants aged 75 years or older. 

What the Findings Mean

Researchers say the findings call for deeper exploration into the relationship between RA and glaucoma. “These findings suggest that RA is associated with a higher risk of developing POAG,” the study authors wrote. “There may be a common pathophysiological pathway between RA and POAG that is possibly immune-mediated, and the nature of this association warrants further investigation.”

*Seung Hoon, K., Sung Hoon, J., Hyunkyu, K. (2022, March 21). Development of Open-Angle Glaucoma in Adults With Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis in Korea. JAMA Network. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2790170