Erythropoietin is increased in aqueous humor of glaucomatous eyes.

PURPOSE: To determine the aqueous concentration of erythropoietin (EPO) in patients with and without glaucoma.

METHODS

Prospective, comparative control study. Concentrations of EPO in the aqueous humor were measured using ELISA kits from 75 patients, of whom 55 had glaucoma (14 primary acute angle-closure glaucoma, PAACG; 26 primary chronic angle-closure glaucoma, PCACG; 11 primary open-angle glaucoma, POAG; 4 neovascular glaucoma, NVG), and 20 had cataract only as control.

RESULTS

EPO concentrations in eyes with glaucoma (71.0 +/- 12.0 mU/mL) were significantly higher than those in eyes with cataract (6.4 +/- 0.8 mU/mL, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences (P = 0.421) between PCACG (28.84 +/- 3.9 mU/mL) and POAG (20.2 +/- 2.0 mU/mL); however, EPO concentrations in eyes with PAACG (118.5 +/- 14 mU/mL) were significantly higher than these two chronic subtypes of glaucoma (P < 0.001, respectively). Unusually high EPO concentrations were detected in four eyes with NVG (319.5 +/- 47.7 mU/mL). No effect of age, gender, different eyes, body mass index of the aqueous humor EPO concentration could be detected (P > 0.05). No significant correlation was found between aqueous humor and plasma EPO concentrations in PAACG and control group (P = 0.285, 0.500, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Our prospective study suggests that the aqueous humor EPO concentrations are increased in eyes with glaucoma.