Metabolic syndrome as a risk factor for high-ocular tension

To investigate the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and intraocular pressure (IOP).

An observational study was conducted in a medical health checkup program at a general hospital. This study involved 14 003 apparently healthy Japanese men and women, 18-83 years of age, with a mean IOP of 14.8 (3.0) mm Hg. IOP was examined by noncontact tonometer. High-ocular tension was defined as IOP >21 mm Hg without optic-disc abnormalities or history of receiving any anti-glaucoma therapy. Modified criteria of the revised National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (rATPIII), the new International Diabetes Federation definition, and the Japan Society for The Study of Obesity definition were used to characterize the metabolic syndrome. Air temperature was assessed from the Gifu Meteorological Observatory, Gifu, Japan.

In the male and female subjects, mean IOP and the prevalence of high-ocular tension became high in direct correlation with the increased number of metabolic syndrome components. To analyze by logistic regression, the metabolic syndrome defined by rATPIII was positively and maximum temperature was negatively correlated with high-ocular tension in males (adjusted odds ratio: 2.0 [95% confidence interval, CI, 1.43-2.78] and 0.63 [95% CI, 0.54-0.73], respectively) and in females (adjusted odds ratio: 7.09 [95% CI, 3.74-13.43] and 0.67 [95% CI, 0.53-0.87], respectively). Three of five metabolic syndrome components (fasting plasma glucose, blood pressure, and triglycerides) were related to high-ocular tension.

The metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for high-ocular tension.