WEDNESDAY, March 31, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) is associated with an increased prevalence of cognitive impairment, according to a study published online March 29 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Sean Mullany, M.D., from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, and colleagues conducted a case-control cross-sectional cognitive screening involving age- and sex-matched NTG cases (144 participants) and high-tension glaucoma (HTG) controls (146 participants) aged 65 years and older. Participants underwent cognitive screening using the Telephone Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA).
The researchers found that cohort demographics and ocular parameters did not differ between the groups at baseline. Compared with the HTG cohort, cognitive impairment was more prevalent in the NTG cohort (odds ratio, 2.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 6.7; P = 0.030). A linear trend was seen between lower absolute T-MoCA scores in the NTG versus HTG cohort, but the correlation was not statistically significant (P = 0.108).
"This NTG-dementia association has the potential to change our understanding of NTG and provide insight into future treatment directions," the authors write. "Further research is required to elucidate this NTG–dementia relationship more definitively."
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