Prevalence of Hypertension in Glaucoma Patients Attending Eye Clinics in Two Teaching Hospitals in Enugu State Nigeria: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Glaucoma and hypertension are chronic debilitating illnesses with serious complications. Glaucoma is the commonest cause of irreversible blindness worldwide while hypertension is the commonest cause of cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality including sudden death. Very few papers have studied the association between these diseases in Nigeria. None of them however has been conducted in the South-Eastern part of the country. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to study the prevalence of hypertension in Glaucoma patients attending eye clinics in two tertiary hospitals in Enugu state, South-East Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among glaucoma patients attending follow-up eye-clinics in two tertiary hospitals in Enugu state, Nigeria over a one-month period. Their blood pressures were measured using an automated blood pressure machine. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90mmHg according to the British Hypertension Society classification of Hypertension. Results: 254 patients participated in the survey; 124 were males and 130 were females. Most participants, 91.7%, were aged 41 and above. More than three-quarters were educated up to at least primary school level. The prevalence of hypertension among the participants was 54.8%. Conclusion: We have described a simple prevalence of hypertension in glaucoma patients where slightly above half of the respondents were found to have elevated blood pressures at the time of questioning. Other studies have demonstrated a positive association between hypertension and glaucoma.