Cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality in patients with retinal vein occlusion: a Danish nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Associations between retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) or mortality have not been evaluated in a recent cohort, after novel therapeutic options have increased referrals for treatment of the condition. We aimed to evaluate overall and subtype-stratified risk of CVD and all-cause mortality following RVO and assess any alterations after the introduction of angiostatic therapy in Denmark in 2011.

METHODS: This nationwide, registry-based cohort study from 1998 to 2018 evaluated 4 194 781 individuals. Hazard ratios (HRs) were reported for RVO as an overall measure and subclassified as branch and central RVO.

RESULTS: Patients with RVO (n=15 665) were median 71.8 years old at the time of exposure and 50.7% were women. RVO associated with incident CVD (adjusted HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.17) but not mortality (adjusted HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.03). Almost similar risks of CVD were found for patients with branch and central RVO (adjusted HRs 1.14, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.25, and 1.12, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.25, respectively), but only patients with central RVO exhibited increased mortality (adjusted HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.26). Mortality was higher for patients diagnosed after 2011 (adjusted HRs 1.11, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.16 vs 0.97, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.00).

CONCLUSION: In a cohort of the Danish population aged 40 years or more, patients with RVO had a 13% increased risk of incident CVD compared with unexposed individuals. Mortality was increased after 2011, when intravitreal angiostatic treatment was introduced and referral practices altered.