Association of Gamma-glutamyl transferase with severity of hypertensive retinopathy in the Indian population

Abstract

: Hypertension is the condition of elevated blood pressure and is a serious medical condition that significantly increases risk of diseases associated with the heart, brain, kidney, eyes, etc. and its most common ocular presentation is Hypertensive retinopathy (HR). Oxidative stress has been extensively studied for its role in the pathophysiology of Hypertensive retinopathy. Through this study, we want to establish an association between the severity of Hypertensive retinopathy and Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT).: After obtaining clearance from the ethics committee, an analytical study was carried out comprising 100 individuals having Hypertensive retinopathy. Patients were divided into four groups according to the Keith Wagener classification. The patients underwent thorough clinical examinations. The ocular examination included visual acuity evaluation, IOP measurement by Goldmann tonometry, and fundoscopy. Biochemical investigation of Serum Gamma-glutamyl transferase was done using a CORAL Colorimetric assay kit and SPSS Version 21.0 was used for statistical analysis.: The majority of Grade I HR people belonged to either normal or prehypertensive group, while the majority of Grade IV, II & III were from the Stage I hypertensives group, followed by Grade II and Grade III hypertension. Statistically, a significant association between the increasing severity of retinopathy and the rise in BP was observed. Most patients with Grade I retinopathy (66.7%) had GGT levels < 40 U/l, while all the patients in Grade II, III & IV (100.0% each) had GGT >40 U/L. Statistically, it was also noted that the GGT levels increased with increasing grades in HR.