Relationship between albuminuria and primary open angle glaucoma in patients attending a Nigerian tertiary hospital.

Authors

Ademola Ayoda Sule, Adetunji Olusesan Adenekan, Adegboyega Sunday Alabi, Obiefuna Ajie, Oluwatobi Idowu, Judith Ogechi Anikwenwa, Kareem Olatunbosun Musa, Adeola Olukorede Onakoya

Published in

International ophthalmology. Volume 46. Issue 1. Jul 09, 2026. Epub Jul 09, 2026.

Abstract

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally. Emerging evidence suggests glaucoma is a vasculopathy with associated systemic microvascular dysfunction. A known feature of endothelial dysfunction is transudation, typified by albuminuria. This aimed to determine the relationship between POAG and albuminuria in patients attending a Nigerian tertiary hospital with a view to enhancing the evaluation and management of POAG patients for blindness prevention, particularly in resource-limited settings.
This hospital-based, comparative cross-sectional study included 210 adults: 105 POAG patients and 105 age-and sex-matched non-glaucomatous participants. Data on demographics and medical history were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Spot urine samples were collected to determine albuminuria using the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR, mg/g), based on measurements of urinary albumin and creatinine.
A total of 210 patients were enrolled. These included 45 males and 60 females in each study and control group (male-to-female ratio of 1:1.3). The mean age of POAG participants was 43.91 ± 14.8 years. Among POAG participants, 69 (65.7%) had mild, 26 (24.8%) had moderate, and 10 (9.5%) had severe POAG. A significantly higher proportion of albuminuria was observed in the POAG group (8 patients, 7.6%) compared to the non-glaucoma group (3 patients, 2.9%) (p = 0.049). The odds of albuminuria were nearly three times higher in participants with severe POAG compared to those with mild POAG (OR = 2.993; 95% CI, 1.003-7.574; p = 0.048), and participants with POAG were approximately 2.5 times more likely to have albuminuria compared to the non-glaucoma group (OR = 2.483; 95% CI, 1.071-4.552; p = 0.042). Median UACR was significantly higher in the POAG group (7.69 mg/g; interquartile range [6.2-10.3]) compared to the non-glaucoma group (3.83 mg/g; range [1.7-9.3]) (p < 0.001).
This study demonstrated a significant association between POAG and albuminuria, with increasing severity of POAG correlating with higher odds of albuminuria. These findings suggest that albuminuria could serve as a systemic marker of disease severity in POAG. Early identification and monitoring of albuminuria in glaucoma patients may improve disease management and outcomes, potentially reducing the incidence of blindness.

PMID:
42423790
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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