Abstract
Purpose: :
We examine the prevalence and systemic associations of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in a sample Japanese population.
Methods: :
In 1998, a cross-sectional community survey was conducted among residents of Hisayama. A total of 537 men and 858 women living in Hisayama, Japan, aged 40 years or older consented to participate in the study. Each participant underwent a comprehensive examination that included an ophthalmic examination. The presence of RVO was determined by grading from fundus examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy, slit lamp examination, and color fundus photographs. Using these cross-sectional data, logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for RVO. The following ten possible risk factors were used: age, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, ECG abnormality, current smoker, alcohol intake, and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism.
Results: :
There were 30 subjects (2.1%) who had any diabetic retinopathy. The prevalence of branch RVO was 2.0%, while that of central RVO was 0.1%. Multivariate analysis showed that age, hypertension and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism were significant independent risk factors for RVO in Japanese subjects.
Conclusions: :
This study suggests that the prevalence rate of RVO is higher than those in population-based studied performed in white populations, and that age, hypertension and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism were significant independent risk factors for RVO.
Keywords: retina • genetics • aging