Analyzing the effective relationship between intraocular pressure against age, hypertension and other risk factors among glaucoma patients in Iraq

Background: Intraocular Pressure (IOP) is a crucial modality to reduce the progressive development of glaucoma, a chronic disease that cause blindness due to progressive loss of Retinal Ganglion Cells. Patients with Arab or West Asian ancestries are genetically predisposed with glaucoma. So, it is crucial to understand the causal and risk factors and its association for elevated IOP. Objective: The aim of the current study is to determine the relationship between elevated IOP and a few factors such as the age, hypertension and a few risk factors (such as diabetes, trauma, smoking habit etc.,) while the study also intends to analyze the relationship among the variables considered. Methodology: For this prospective cohort study, patients aged 40 years and above, diagnosed with glaucoma and enrolled at the Medical City Department/Martyr Ghazi Hariri Teaching Hospital, Baghdad city, Iraq were enrolled. The researchers collected data from 98 patients in terms of their Intraocular pressure (IOP) levels, Presence of hypertension, Risk factors, hypertension along with their demographic details. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's Exact Tests and Multinomial logistic regression were conducted using R software to achieve the objectives. Results: Majority of participants had middle IOP range (19-28 mmHg) though the statistical analysis does not support a significant relationship between age group and IOP level with similar results reflecting in age versus hypertension. On the other hand, age factor was found to play a significant role in the manifestation of ocular symptoms, Younger age groups (40-59) experienced combined symptoms of headache and red eye, older age groups (70+) exhibited isolated red eye symptoms or no symptoms at all and the middle age group (60-69) were highly susceptible to headaches alone. Among the three models considered, model 1 provided a solid baseline, with both primary predictors (age groups and IOP levels) while model 3 concluded that several risk factors such as diabetes, nervous conditions, and trauma are significant predictors of ocular symptoms. Implications: The current study outcomes emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to ocular health, considering not only direct ocular measures like IOP but also systemic factors such as hypertension and various health-related risk factors. Future research could benefit from larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs to further elucidate the causal relationships between these factors and ocular symptoms over time.