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Cold Extremities and Underweight as a Combined Risk Profile for Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Population-Based
Kwang-Ho Bae1, Youngseop Lee1, Man Young Park2
1KM Data Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea.
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Individuals with both cold extremities and underweight status have double the odds of developing open-angle glaucoma (OAG). This combined risk profile highlights potential noninvasive markers for early OAG detection and screening.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Vascular Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness, particularly prevalent in East Asian populations.
- While elevated intraocular pressure is a primary risk factor, non-pressure-dependent mechanisms like vascular dysregulation are increasingly recognized.
- Cold extremities (a sign of primary vascular dysregulation) and underweight status (low body mass index) are independently linked to OAG, but their combined impact was unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined effect of cold extremities and underweight status on the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in a large population sample.
- To identify potential noninvasive markers for early OAG detection by examining the interplay of vascular and nutritional factors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nationally representative Korean data (2008-2012) from 8,135 participants aged ≥50 years.
- Classified participants into four groups based on cold extremities and underweight status (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²).
- Employed complex sample logistic regression, adjusting for multiple confounding variables including age, sex, diabetes, and intraocular pressure.
Main Results:
- The combination of underweight with cold extremities (UW+CE) was significantly associated with higher odds of OAG (adjusted OR = 2.10, p=0.018).
- Neither cold extremities alone nor underweight alone showed a significant association with OAG in this cohort.
- The association between UW+CE and OAG remained significant after adjusting for a wide range of socioeconomic, lifestyle, and cardiometabolic factors.
Conclusions:
- Co-occurring cold extremities and underweight status represent a significant hemodynamic risk profile for open-angle glaucoma.
- These easily assessed factors may serve as valuable noninvasive markers for identifying individuals at high risk for OAG.
- Findings support the integration of these markers into proactive glaucoma screening strategies for early intervention.
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