Stuart, Kelsey Vernon;
(2024)
Modifiable risk factors for glaucoma and related traits.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally and an important public health concern. The disease has a complex multifactorial aetiology, with a combination of environmental and genetic factors contributing to disease risk. The identification and characterisation of novel modifiable risk factors may offer insights into pathogenesis, direct future therapies, and inform lifestyle advice for individuals with glaucoma. In this thesis, I set out to quantify the burden of glaucoma in Europe, before exploring the relationship of several important modifiable factors – including dietary components, lifestyle behaviours, and systemic medication use – with glaucoma and related traits. To address the first aim, I conduct a large multicentre meta-analysis of glaucoma prevalence data, pooling results from fourteen European population-based eye studies. I report updated prevalence estimates and calculate the number of affected individuals in Europe, demonstrating that both the current and future burden of disease may be substantially greater than previously reported. I then utilise datasets from large population-based cohort studies and international genetic consortia, employing a variety of epidemiological techniques to assess associations of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, dietary salt intake, and physical activity with glaucoma. These analyses implicate alcohol and salt as potentially modifiable risk factors for glaucoma and suggest that adverse relationships may only be apparent in individuals at high underlying genetic risk. Lastly, I report the results of two complementary association studies of systemic medication use, both of which implicate calcium channel blockers as potentially detrimental for glaucoma. This work has important implications for public health policy and service provision and may inform dietary recommendations and targeted lifestyle advice for glaucoma patients in the future.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Modifiable risk factors for glaucoma and related traits |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10195108 |
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