%0 Journal Article
%T Elevated VEGF-A Levels in the Aqueous Humor of Patients With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.
%A Dimtsas GS
%A Ieronymaki A
%A Chatzistefanou KI
%A Siasos G
%A Krassas A
%A Moschos MM
%J In Vivo
%V 38
%N 4
%D 2024 Jul-Aug
%M 38936903
%F 2.406
%R 10.21873/invivo.13642
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>The purpose of the current study was to compare the vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) levels in the aqueous humor of patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and non-glaucomatous eyes and reveal any potential statistically significant correlations.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>This was an observational cross-sectional study. Aqueous humor samples (50-100 μl) were collected under aseptic conditions, from the anterior chamber at the start of glaucoma or cataract surgery. The levels of VEGF-A were measured using a multiplex bead-based immunoassay.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Aqueous humor samples were obtained from 76 participants: 39 with POAG and 36 with age-related cataracts as controls. VEGF-A levels were significantly elevated in the POAG group (166.37±110.04 pg/ml, p=0.011) compared to the control group (119.02±49.09 pg/ml). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that VEGF-A had significant prognostic ability for POAG (AUC=0.67; p=0.006). An optimal cut-off for VEGF-A was found to be 148.5 pg/ml with a sensitivity of 54%, specificity of 81.1%, positive prognostic value (PPV) of 75% and negative prognostic value (NPV) of 62.5%. Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for sex and age, patients with VEGF-A higher than 148.5 pg/ml had almost 10 times greater likelihood for POAG.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>VEGF-A is elevated in patients with POAG and can potentially have a prognostic ability for these patients.