[Determination and significance of catecholamines in aqueous humor, plasma and 24 hour urine of patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma].

OBJECTIVE: To study the functional state of ocular and systemic sympathetic nervous system and the effects of its related neurohumoral factor, catecholamines (CA), on intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG). METHODS: The levels of CA in the aqueous humor, plasma and the total amount of CA in 24 hour urine of cases with AACG during attack stage were determined with fluorometry, and the results were compared to that of patients with senile cataract and normal adults. RESULTS: The CA levels within aqueous humor and plasma and in 24 hour urine of the patients with AACG during attack stage were elevated obviously as compared with that of the control subjects (P < 0.001), and positively correlated with the level of IOP. CONCLUSION: During attack stage of AACG, the ocular sympathetic nervous system is highly excited and a large amount of CA is released into the aqueous humor, in the meantime the systemic sympathetic nervous system is also excited and CA is released into the blood circulation, which may play a certain role in the regulation of IOP. Possibly, CA is an important supplemental factor within the attack stage of AACG.