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Associations between serum lipids and glaucoma: a cohort study of 400 229 UK Biobank participants

Yi-Yuan Ma, Yue Wu, Leyi Hu, Wen Chen, Xin-Yu Zhang, D. Zheng, N. Congdon, Guang-Ming Jin et al.

British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2025

400 participants · 11 citations

Abstract

Purpose To examine the associations of commonly-used serum lipid measures (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG)) with glaucoma. Methods This prospective cohort study included 400 229 participants from the UK Biobank. Cox regression and restricted cubic spline models and polygenic risk scores were employed to investigate the associations between serum lipids and glaucoma. Results Over a mean follow-up of 14.44 years, 6868 (1.72%) participants developed glaucoma. Multivariate Cox regression revealed that higher levels of HDL-C were associated with an increased risk of glaucoma (HR for 1-SD increase in HDL-C 1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08, p=0.001), while elevated levels of LDL-C (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94 to 0.99, p=0.005), TC (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.00, p=0.037) and TG (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94 to 0.99, p=0.008) were all associated with reduced risk. The analysis examining the associations between polygenic risk score of serum lipids and glaucoma showed per 1-SD increment of HDL-C genetic risk was associated with a 5% greater hazard of glaucoma (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.11, p=0.031). However, the polygenic risk score of LDL-C, TC, and TG did not show a significant association with glaucoma. Conclusions Elevated HDL-C is associated with an increased risk of glaucoma, while elevated LDL-C, TC, and TG levels are associated with a lower risk of glaucoma. This study enhances our understanding…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 400 participants or records.

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