An Intraocular Pressure Polygenic Risk Score Stratifies Multiple Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Parameters Including Treatment Intensity

Ayub Qassim, Emmanuelle Souzeau, Owen M. Siggs, Mark M. Hassall, Xikun Han, Helen L. Griffiths, N. Andrew Frost, Neeru A Vallabh, James F. Kirwan, Geeta Menon, Angela J. Cree, Anna Galanopoulos, Ashish Agar, Paul R. Healey, Stuart L. Graham, John Landers, Robert J. Casson, Puya Gharahkhani, Colin E. Willoughby, Alex W. HewittAndrew J. Lotery, Stuart MacGregor, Jamie E. Craig

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    40 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Purpose

    To examine the combined effects of common genetic variants associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) phenotype using a polygenic risk score (PRS) stratification.

    Design

    Cross-sectional study.

    Participants

    For the primary analysis, we examined the glaucoma phenotype of 2154 POAG patients enrolled in the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma, including patients recruited from the United Kingdom. For replication, we examined an independent cohort of 624 early POAG patients.

    Methods

    Using IOP genome-wide association study summary statistics, we developed a PRS derived solely from IOP-associated variants and stratified POAG patients into 3 risk tiers. The lowest and highest quintiles of the score were set as the low- and high-risk groups, respectively, and the other quintiles were set as the intermediate risk group.

    Main Outcome Measures

    Clinical glaucoma phenotype including maximum recorded IOP, age at diagnosis, number of family members affected by glaucoma, cup-to-disc ratio, visual field mean deviation, and treatment intensity.

    Results

    A dose–response relationship was found between the IOP PRS and the maximum recorded IOP, with the high genetic risk group having a higher maximum IOP by 1.7 mmHg (standard deviation [SD], 0.62 mmHg) than the low genetic risk group (P = 0.006). Compared with the low genetic risk group, the high genetic risk group had a younger age of diagnosis by 3.7 years (SD, 1.0 years; P < 0.001), more family members affected by 0.46 members (SD, 0.11 members; P < 0.001), and higher rates of incisional surgery (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–2.0; P = 0.007). No statistically significant difference was found in mean deviation. We further replicated the maximum IOP, number of family members affected by glaucoma, and treatment intensity (number of medications) results in the early POAG cohort (P ≤ 0.01).

    Conclusions

    The IOP PRS was correlated positively with maximum IOP, disease severity, need for surgery, and number of affected family members. Genes acting via IOP-mediated pathways, when considered in aggregate, have clinically important and reproducible implications for glaucoma patients and their close family members.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)901-907
    Number of pages7
    JournalOphthalmology
    Volume127
    Issue number7
    Early online date7 Jan 2020
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2020

    Keywords

    • Intraocular Pressure
    • Polygenic Risk Score
    • Open-Angle Glaucoma

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