Association between heart rate variability and systemic endothelin-1 concentration in normal-tension glaucoma

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cardiology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) is a complex optic neuropathy.
• Autonomic dysfunction and vascular factors are implicated in NTG pathogenesis.
• Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor with potential roles in ocular blood flow regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of autonomic function, and plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels in patients with NTG.
• To explore potential links between vascular dysregulation and glaucoma in the absence of systemic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four NTG patients without systemic diseases were enrolled.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed, and patients were categorized into low HRV (LHV) and high HRV (HHV) groups based on SDNN.
• Plasma ET-1 concentrations were measured and compared between the LHV and HHV groups.

Main Results:

• The LHV group exhibited significantly lower plasma ET-1 levels compared to the HHV group (p=0.04).
• Significant correlations were found between ET-1 levels and HRV parameters, specifically SDNN (ρ=0.729, p<0.001) and total power (ρ=0.713, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Plasma ET-1 levels are associated with HRV parameters in NTG patients, even after excluding systemic diseases.
• These findings suggest that the interplay between autonomic dysfunction and impaired autoregulation may contribute to the pathogenesis of normal-tension glaucoma.