Link of ocular pseudoexfoliation syndrome and vascular system changes: results from 10-year follow-up study

Systemic Vascular Parameters in Ocular Pseudoexfoliation

Background Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) is characterized by a dandruff-like substance in the anterior chamber, composed of various glycoproteins that have an unclear origin. Its deposition is observed on the pupillary margin, lens zonules, and trabecular meshwork. Proteomic studies have identified numerous proteins in the affected individuals, suggesting associations with systemic conditions like heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. However, the systemic associations of PEX remain inconclusive, particularly in regions like southern India. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 114 participants. Pseudoexfoliation was graded as mild, moderate, and severe as per standard photographic grading. Systemic examinations included blood pressure measurements, electrocardiography (ECG), and blood investigations for serum lipid profile, fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels, and serum C-reactive protein levels. Small incision cataract surgery was performed for all the patients. Intraoperative complications and postoperative status were recorded. Results Thirty-eight patients (33.3%) had mild PEX, 44 (38.6%) had moderate PEX, and 32 (28.1%) had severe PEX. Hypertension was present in 54 participants (47.4%), diabetes in 21 (18.4%), coronary artery disease in nine (7.9%), and cerebrovascular accidents in three (2.6%). The mean systolic blood pressure was 140.39 mmHg and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 90.37 mmHg. Systolic blood pressure exceeded 140 mmHg in 29 participants (90.6%) with severe PEX, while diastolic blood pressure surpassed 90 mmHg in 26 participants with severe PEX, both with a p-value of 0.001. Mean fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels were 103.80 ± 31.81 mg/dl and 131.72 ± 48.24 mg/dl, respectively. Serum lipid profiles showed mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), cholesterol, and triglyceride levels of 103.00 ± 34.49 mg/dl, 29.04 ± 15.51 mg/dl, 172.73 ± 43.34 mg/dl, and 129.33 ± 64.65 mg/dl respectively. Electrocardiographic results indicated that 54 participants (47.37%) had abnormal ECG including rate abnormality in 13.2%, conduction defects in 12.3%, ischemic changes in 10.5%, and structural defects in 11.4%. Eighty-seven percent of patients had non-dilating pupils and iris atrophy, 13.2% had zonular dialysis and intraoperatively, 78% had capsulorhexis extension, 49.12% had difficult nucleus prolapse, and 28.95% had posterior capsular rent. Conclusion This study highlights the significantly elevated parameters of systemic vascular diseases in PEX patients, like elevated blood pressure and more frequent cardiac anomalies, emphasizing the need for comprehensive systemic evaluation and careful preoperative assessment for ocular comorbidities.

Clinical profile and demographic distribution of pseudoexfoliation syndrome: An electronic medical record-driven big data analytics from an eye care network in India

Purpose

To describe the demographics and clinical profile of pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXF or PES) in patients presenting to a multi-tier ophthalmology hospital network in India.

Methods

This cross-sectional hospital-based study included 3,082,727 new patients presenting between August 2010 and December 2021. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of PXF in at least one eye were included as cases. The data were collected using an electronic medical record system.

Results

Overall, 23,223 (0.75%) patients were diagnosed with PXF. The majority of the patients were male (67.08%) and had unilateral (60.96%) affliction. The most common age group at presentation was during the seventh decade of life with 9,495 (40.89%) patients. The overall prevalence was higher in patients from a lower socio-economic status (1.48%) presenting from the urban geography (0.84%) and in retired individuals (3.61%). The most common location of the PXF material was the pupillary margin (81.01%) followed by the iris (19.15%). The majority of the eyes had mild or no visual impairment (<20/70) in 12,962 (40.14%) eyes. PXF glaucoma was documented in 7,954 (24.63%) eyes. Krukenberg's spindle was found in 64 (0.20%) eyes, phacodonesis in 328 (1.02%) eyes, and lens subluxation in 299 (0.93%) eyes. Among the surgical interventions, cataract surgery was performed in 8,363 (25.9%) eyes, trabeculectomy was performed in 966 (2.99%) eyes, and a combined procedure in 822 (2.55%) eyes.

Conclusion

PXF more commonly affects males presenting during the seventh decade of life from lower socio-economic status and is predominantly unilateral. A quarter of the affected eyes are associated with glaucoma and the majority of the eyes have mild or no visual impairment.

Exploring association between pseudoexfoliation syndrome and ocular aging

PURPOSE

Within a population-based follow-up study, to examine the 10-year incidence of pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX), possible risk factors for PEX and its association with ocular aging of the cornea, lens and retina.

METHODS

The baseline examination was conducted in 2006 on a random sample of 1,033 adult participants from Kaunas city (Lithuania) population of whom 631 had ophthalmic examination data at attendance of the 10-year follow-up in 2016. Detailed examination of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye was carried out. After diagnostic mydriasis PEX was diagnosed by the presence of typical grayish-white exfoliation material on the anterior capsule surface of the lens. The participants were divided to PEX and non-PEX groups.

RESULTS

PEX prevalence increased from 9.8 to 34.2% from baseline to 10-year follow-up. Nuclear cataract was common both in the PEX group (66.7%) and in those without PEX (72.2%), but this difference did not reach statistically significantly increased risk of developing cataract in those with PEX (OR 1.2; p = 0.61). Central corneal thickness (CCT) was thinner in the PEX group (529 ± 34 μm) and in the oldest group (525 ± 36 μm) (p < 0.001). Compared to baseline, corneal curvature (CC) became flatter in both groups (7.6 ± 0.27 vs 7.7 ± 0.26 mm; p < 0.001) during the follow-up, but the difference did not reach significance between groups. Corneal astigmatism was most commonly with-the-rule in both groups (37 (50.0%) vs 148 (68.5%); p > 0.05). Age, sex and PEX had no influence on age-related macular degeneration distribution.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of PEX increased significantly with age in our population, with those with PEX having thinner and flatter corneae, but no difference in cataract and age-related macular degeneration characteristics.

Prediagnostic Plasma Metabolomics and the Risk of Exfoliation Glaucoma

Purpose

The etiology of exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) is poorly understood. We aimed to identify a prediagnostic plasma metabolomic signature associated with XFG.

Methods

We conducted a 1:1 matched case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We collected blood samples in 1989-1990 (Nurses' Health Study) and 1993-1995 (Health Professionals Follow-up Study). We identified 205 incident XFG cases through 2016 (average time to diagnosis from blood draw = 11.8 years) who self-reported glaucoma and were confirmed as XFG cases with medical records. We profiled plasma metabolites using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We evaluated 379 known metabolites (transformed for normality using probit scores) using multiple conditional logistic models. Metabolite set enrichment analysis was used to identify metabolite classes associated with XFG. To adjust for multiple comparisons, we used number of effective tests (NEF) and the false discovery rate (FDR).

Results

Mean age of cases (n = 205) at diagnosis was 71 years; 85% were women and more than 99% were Caucasian; controls (n = 205) reported eye examinations as of the matched cases' index date. Thirty-three metabolites were nominally significantly associated with XFG (P < 0.05), and 4 metabolite classes were FDR-significantly associated. We observed positive associations for lysophosphatidylcholines (FDR = 0.02) and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens (FDR = 0.004) and inverse associations for triacylglycerols (FDR < 0.0001) and steroids (FDR = 0.03). In particular, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio with each 1 standard deviation higher plasma cortisone levels was 0.49 (95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.74; NEF = 0.05).

Conclusions

In plasma from a decade before diagnosis, lysophosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogens were positively associated and triacylglycerols and steroids (e.g., cortisone) were inversely associated with XFG risk.

Impact of cardiovascular comorbidity on increased neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in pseudoexfoliation syndrome

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to compare neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLRs) of patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) according to the presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with those without CVD as controls.

METHODS

A total of 197 participants (97 patients with PEX and 100 participants without PEX regarded as the control group) were included in this retrospective study. The PEX group was divided into 2 subgroups, PEX with CVD (group 1) and PEX without CVD (group 2). NLRs were then compared to those of the control group.

RESULTS

The incidence of CVD was significantly (P = .015) higher in the PEX group than in the control group. NLR was significantly higher in the group 1 and group 2 compared with that of the control group (P = .048 and P = .002, respectively). In the PEX group, group 1 showed higher NLR than group 2 (P = .023).

CONCLUSION

Although the PEX group showed a higher incidence of CVD, the NLR was higher in the PEX group regardless of cardiovascular comorbidity than that in the control group.

Electrodiagnostic signs of carpal tunnel syndrome in ocular pseudoexfoliation syndrome

PURPOSE

To assess the occurrence and severity of electrodiagnostic signs of carpal tunnel syndrome (ED-CTS) in patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation (PEX) and compare them with normal subjects.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study with comparison group was designed and 60 patients with PEX were recruited from May 2019 to February 2021, and the findings were compared with 59 healthy subjects. All patients underwent complete ophthalmologic examination and nerve conduction velocity test at the median nerve was used to assess the occurrence and severity of ED-CTS in both hands.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 59.8 ± 4.5 years. Occurrence of ED-CTS was 38.3% in PEX patients and 20.3% in control subjects (P = 0.025). There was also a significant difference in the severityand presence of asymptomatic CTS (P < 0.05). Adjusting other variables, including; age and sex, having severe ED-CTS showed a 3.07fold higher chance in the PEX group (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

According to our finding, it seems there is a direct association between PEX and the occurrence, as well as severity of ED-CTS.

A Case-Cohort Study of Exfoliation Risk Factors and Literature Review

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the risk factors associated with exfoliation in a case-cohort setting and literature review. This single-center, prospective, case-cohort study was carried out from January 2010 to April 2020 on patients operated for cataract surgery by a single surgeon in Lebanon. Forty-nine consecutive patients with exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and 62 consecutive control patients were identified and further investigated for selected systemic (diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, asthma, or atopy) and ocular variables (baseline vision, severity of nuclear sclerosis, glaucoma, eye rubbing, history of dry eye, or allergic eye disease). The mean baseline Snellen visual acuity was 20/283 in XFS versus 20/145 in control cases (P = 0.012). XFS also demonstrated significantly denser nuclear sclerosis than controls (P = 0.00958). By univariate analysis, allergic conjunctivitis (15 [30.6%] vs. 2 [3.2%]; P < 0.001), dry eye (20 [40.8%] vs. 13 [21.0%]; P = 0.0133), and habitual rubbing of the eyes (33 [67.3%] vs. 19 [30.6%]; P < 0.001) were associated with the presence of XFS. Habitual ocular rubbing was closely associated with allergic conjunctivitis (odds ratio [OR] = 13.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.8–58.8; P = 0.032). After multivariable analysis, the following variables showed significant results: glaucoma (OR = 34.5; 95% CI: 4.4–250; P = 0.010), duration of surgery (OR = 5.6; 95% CI 2.43–12.9; P < 0.001), and habitual ocular rubbing (OR = 4.42; 95% CI: 1.97–9.90; P = 0.029). This study shows a novel potential correlation between eye rubbing and XFS in a Lebanese cohort. Chronic eye rubbing induces or may exacerbate preexistent zonular damage in subjects with XFS, hence the need to better manage concurrent ocular surface disorder in these patients.

Pseudoexfoliation syndrome: Are the eyes the mirror of the heart?

INTRODUCTION

Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) is a disease characterized by the accumulation of fibrillary material in the extracellular matrix in the eye and many tissues. Myocardial involvement occurs as in other storage diseases. Speckle tracking echocardiography is a quantitative echocardiography modality that enables the detection of subclinical changes that cannot be detected by standard echocardiographic evaluation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate potential subclinical myocardial dysfunction in PEX patients by speckle tracking echocardiography.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The study group consisting of 29 cardiac asymptomatic pseudoexfoliation syndromes and 30 healthy volunteers were included in this case-control cross-sectional study. Detailed echocardiographic evaluations and strain analyses of all participants were performed. Concerning standard echocardiographic parameters, there was only a marginally significant difference between the two groups in the e' mean wave, and it was lower in the PEX group than the control group (0.07 ± 0.03, 0.10 ± 0.08, respectively, P = .06). However, in strain echocardiography, the global longitudinal strain (GLS) value was observed to be significantly lower in the PEX group than the control group (-17.02 ± 2.02, -19.29 ± 2.26, respectively P < .001). GLS was observed to be an independent predictor in the multivariable logistic regression model made to determine independent predictors of PEX syndrome (OR = 0.59, CI = 0.418-0.832, P = .003).

CONCLUSION

Subclinical myocardial involvement in PEX syndrome, in which standard echocardiographic techniques are blinded, can be detected by the strain echocardiography. PEX causes deterioration in the deformation parameters of the left ventricle. Systemic involvement should not be forgotten in patients with PEX and cardiac functions should be monitored.