Major Eye Diseases and Risk Factors Associated with Systemic Hypertension in an Adult Chinese Population. The Beijing Eye Study

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the relationship of hypertension with major eye diseases and other ocular parameters. Design: Population-based study. Participants: The Beijing Eye Study is a population-based study that included 4439 Chinese subjects examined at the baseline examination in 2001; there was a follow-up examination in 2006, in which 3251 subjects participated, of whom 3222 had blood pressure measurements. Methods: All participants underwent an ophthalmic examination, anthropometric measurements, and blood pressure measurement. Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, and/or self-reported current treatment for hypertension with antihypertensive medication. Main Outcome Measures: Blood pressure and ocular parameters, including intraocular pressure and prevalence of major ophthalmic diseases. Results: Mean age of participants in the present study was 60.4±10.0 years. Hypertension was present in 1500 (46.6%) of the 3222 subjects who had their blood pressure measured. In multiple regression analysis, hypertension was associated with higher intraocular pressure (β = 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12-0.66; P = 0.005), focal arteriolar narrowing (odds ratio [OR], 1.78; 95% CI, 1.34-2.36; P