Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2010 Mar;21(2):91-9. doi: 10.1097/ICU.0b013e3283360b7e.
With growing aging populations and an increase in cases of glaucoma and glaucoma blindness worldwide, aging populations are particularly at higher risk of glaucoma and glaucoma blindness. Awareness of the gender differences might increase attention toward populations at risk.
Women not only outlive men, but also outnumber men in glaucoma cases worldwide. Women are at higher risks for angle closure glaucoma, but there is no clear gender predilection for open angle glaucoma. Of interest, there is some evidence suggesting that female sex hormones might be protective of the optic nerve. In addition, it is hypothesized that decreased estrogen exposure is associated with increased risk for open angle glaucoma, yet population-based studies present inconsistent results. Presently, there is insufficient evidence to support hormonal replacement therapy use in glaucoma prevention. In addition, it appears that women carry a larger burden of glaucoma blindness due to longevity and disadvantages in socioeconomic/health beliefs.
Current evidence suggests that older women are at risk for glaucoma and glaucoma blindness. Further interdisciplinary research involving investigators, specialized in glaucoma, women's health and health disparities, will lead to better understanding of gender health disparities in glaucoma and better targeting populations at risk.
目的综述：随着全球人口老龄化、青光眼和青光眼致盲病例的增加，老年人群面临更高的青光眼和青光眼致盲风险。了解性别差异可能会引起对高危人群的关注。
最近发现：女性不仅比男性长寿，而且在全球范围内，女性青光眼患者也多于男性。女性患闭角型青光眼的风险更高，但开角型青光眼并无明显的性别倾向。有趣的是，有一些证据表明，女性性激素可能对视神经有保护作用。此外，有人假设，雌激素暴露减少与开角型青光眼的风险增加有关，但基于人群的研究结果并不一致。目前，尚无足够的证据支持使用激素替代疗法预防青光眼。此外，由于寿命延长和社会经济/健康观念的劣势，女性似乎承担着更大的青光眼致盲负担。
总结：目前的证据表明，老年女性面临着青光眼和青光眼致盲的风险。涉及青光眼、女性健康和健康差异领域的专家进行进一步的跨学科研究，将有助于更好地理解青光眼方面的性别健康差异，并更好地针对高危人群。
