Association of Helicobacter Pylori Infection with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

To compare the frequency of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in subjects with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) vs controls. In a case-control study, 44 patients with primary open angle glaucoma and 79 patients with senile cataract (control group) were investigated for serum level of anti-H. pylori antibody using the enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) method. The study included 26 male and 18 female subjects with mean age of 60.8±20.6 years in the case group and 44 male and 35 female subjects with mean age of 66.0±19.8 years in the control group. Seropositivity was higher in patients with glaucoma (70.5%) compared to controls (40.5%) with an odds ratio of 3.51 (95% confidence interval, 2.89-4.11; P= 0.001). H. pylori infection is much more prevalent in patients with primary open angle glaucoma. Further investigations are required to evaluate the possible causative role of H. pylori infection in primary open angle glaucoma.