Atopic dermatitis: Risk of glaucoma progression?

4 December 2024 | Su Young | EYE - Glaucoma

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This population-based retrospective cohort study from December 5, 2003 to December 3, 2018 examined 528,469 patients with glaucoma with a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD) based on diagnostic claim codes from the TriNetX Research Network, which contains real-time information on over 250 million patients from 120 healthcare organisations worldwide. Out of 528,469 patients with glaucoma, 2624 (0.5% of study participants) had a diagnosis of AD. Five-hundred-and-eighty-four were classified as severe AD. The AD group showed a comparable risk of requiring surgery to the non-AD group (hazard ratio: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.72, 1.47). However, the severe AD group had a significantly greater risk and cumulative incidence of surgery (hazard ratio: 2.80; 95% CI: 1.37, 5.73; log-rank p=0.003) compared with the non-AD group. The authors concluded that glaucoma patients with severe AD are significantly more likely to need surgical intervention. Atopic dermatitis severity was identified as a correlating factor for increased risk, likely due to an increased risk of intraocular inflammation with AD, with increased levels of inflammatory mediators in the anterior chambers of AD patients. Increased vigilance and the formation of interdisciplinary teams in managing glaucoma patients with AD is recommended for early detection and intervention.