Study links statin use to higher risk of glaucoma

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A team of researchers has investigated links between statin use and glaucoma in the 2017 to 2022 All of Us (AoU) Research Program.

The study included 79,742 adult participants under 40 years of age with hyperlipidemia and with electronic health record (EHR) data in the AoU database, according to corresponding author Victoria L. Tseng, MD, PhD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles.¹

According to the study, published in Ophthalmology Glaucoma, hyperlipidemia, glaucoma status, and statin use were defined by diagnoses and medication information in EHR data collected by AoU. Researchers performed logistic regression analysis to evaluate the link between statin use and glaucoma likelihood.

The researchers noted that logistic regression modeling was used to study links between glaucoma and all covariates included in adjusted analysis. Serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was used to assess hyperlipidemia severity. Analyses stratified by LDL-C level and age were performed.¹

The main outcome measure, according to the study, is any glaucoma as defined by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes found in EHR data.

Results

Of 79,742 individuals with hyperlipidemia in AoU, there were 6,365 (8%) statin users. Moreover, the statin use was associated with increased glaucoma prevalence when compared with statin non-use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.26). Higher serum levels of LDL-C were associated with increased odds of glaucoma (aOR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.003, 1.004).1

Researchers noted that statin users exhibited significantly higher LDL-C levels compared to nonusers (144.9 mg/dL versus 136.3 mg/dL, p-value < 0.001). A review stratified by LDL-C identified positive associations between statin use and prevalence of glaucoma among those with optimal (aOR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.05-1.82) and high (aOR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.09-1.70) LDL-C levels. Age-stratified analysis showed a positive association between statin use and prevalence of glaucoma in individuals aged 60-69 years (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.05-1.56).¹

Conclusion

Statin use was linked with increased glaucoma likelihood in the overall adult AoU population with hyperlipidemia, in individuals with optimal or high LDL-C levels, and in individuals from 60 to 69 years old.

The researchers concluded that their findings suggest that statin use may be an independent risk factor for glaucoma, which may furthermore be affected by one’s lipid profile and age.

Reference:

1. Victoria L. Tseng, MD, PhD; Samuel Y. Lee, BA; Megan E. Paul, BA; Anne L. Coleman, MD, PhD; Fei Yu, PhD, Deyo Pan, MS. Associations between Statin Use and Glaucoma in the All of Us Research Program. Ophthalmology. Published July 31, 2024. Accessed August 2, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ogla.2024.07.008