Should we screen for asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction in glaucoma patients

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction in primary open-angle glaucoma patients. Patients and Two-dimensional and pulsed Doppler echocardiography of transmitral flow was performed on 31 glaucoma patients and 27 controls. No significant difference was found in early [E] and late [A] transmitral filling velocity, velocity time integral E wave [VTIE] and A wave [VTIA], left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction [EF] and fractional shortening [FS]. A significant difference was found in ratio E/A [P=0.04] and ratio VTIA/VTIE [P=0.05], although all obtained values were within the 95% confidence limit for the corresponding age. Our study tends to indicate the possibility of dysfunction of myocardial relaxation in glaucoma patients, which might be partially attributed to systemic vascular dysregulation