Postmenopausal Hormone Rx May Cut Risk for Glaucoma

(HealthDay News) — Use of estrogen-only postmenopausal hormone (PMH) treatment may help reduce the risk for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), according to research published online January 30 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues retrospectively reviewed claims data from 152,163 women 50 years or older enrolled in a U.S. managed-care plan for at least four years and with at least two visits to an eye care provider during the period 2001–2009. Outpatient pharmacy claims were used to identify use of PMH medications.

The researchers found that 1.9% of enrollees developed POAG. Each additional month of use of PMH containing estrogen only was associated with a 0.4% reduced risk for POAG (hazard ratio [HR], 0.996; P=0.02), after adjustment for other confounding factors. Each additional month of use of estrogen + progesterone (HR, 0.994; P=0.08) or estrogen + androgen (HR, 0.999; P=0.89) did not affect risk for POAG.

“If prospective studies confirm the findings of this analysis, novel treatments for this sight-threatening condition may follow,” the authors write.

Abstract
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