Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 114, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 520-524
Ophthalmology

Original Article
Retinal Vein Occlusion and Vascular Mortality: Pooled Data Analysis of 2 Population-Based Cohorts

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2006.06.061Get rights and content

Purpose

To assess the association of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality.

Design

Pooled data from 2 population-based cohort studies.

Participants

At baseline, the Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES) examined 4926 persons aged 43 to 86 years (from 1988–1990) and the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) examined 3654 persons aged 49 to 97 years (from 1992 to 1994).

Methods

Retinal vein occlusion was assessed from retinal photographs. Vascular deaths were determined using either death certificates (BDES) or the Australian National Death Index (BMES). Cox regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Main Outcome Measure

Vascular (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular) mortality was determined.

Results

Of 8384 baseline participants, 96 (1.14%) had RVO at baseline (BDES, n = 38; BMES, n = 58). Over 12 years, 1312 (15.7%) died of cardiovascular-related conditions and 341 (4.1%) died of cerebrovascular-related conditions. Age-standardized vascular mortality rates were 26.0% and 5.3%, respectively, in persons with RVO and 17.1% and 4.5%, respectively, in those without RVO. After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, glaucoma, and study site, RVO was not associated with cardiovascular-related mortality (HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8–1.8) or cerebrovascular-related mortality (HR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.4–2.1) among participants of all ages. However, in persons aged less than 70 years, baseline RVO was associated with higher cardiovascular mortality (combined BDES and BMES: HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2–5.2; BDES: HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 0.9–6.9; BMES: HR, 2.1; 95% CI, 0.7–6.8).

Conclusions

Retinal vein occlusion in persons aged 43 to 69 years may signal a doubling of the risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Section snippets

Patients and Methods

The BDES and BMES are 2 population-based cohort studies of vision and common eye diseases in predominantly white populations examined using similar protocols. Both were approved by the human research ethics committees in their respective institutions and were conducted adhering to tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The BDES examined 4926 of 5924 eligible residents aged 43 to 86 years (83.1% response) from 1988 through 1990 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The BMES examined 3654 of 4433 eligible

Results

Table 1 shows age- and gender-specific prevalence of RVO at baseline, plus baseline characteristics by RVO status in the 2 populations. Age-specific RVO prevalence was nearly double in the BMES compared with the BDES. Participants in both studies with baseline RVO were significantly older and were more likely to have hypertension. In the BDES, participants with RVO also were more likely to have diabetes. In the BMES, participants with RVO were more likely to report a history of angina or

Discussion

In this pooled data analysis of 2 white population-based cohorts, we found that in persons aged 43 to 69 years, the presence of RVO was associated with a 2-fold higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Also in men, presence of RVO was associated with a nonsignificant, 2-fold higher risk of cerebrovascular mortality for all ages. These findings support an association between RVO and vascular mortality, suggested by previous clinical studies.7, 8, 9 In our study population, glaucoma patients

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  • Cited by (150)

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    Manuscript no. 2006-263.

    Supported by the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council, Canberra, Australia (grant nos.: 153948, 302068, 974159, 211069); National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (grant no.: EY 06594 [RK, BEKK]); and Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York (RK, BEKK).

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