Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: Retinal vascular occlusion is associated with well known major risk factors. Haemodynamic dysfunction due to incidence of hyperviscosity conditions such as polycythemia, paradysproteinemia, hyperlipidemia and leukemia or systemic inflammation may produce vascular occlusive disease. Patients: In a prospective study blood samples of 238 patients with retinal vascular occlusion were obtained and analysed for hyperviscosity parameters like erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ECR), hemogram, protein electrophoresis and hyperlipoproteinemia within 11 days after acute retinal vascular occlusion. Laboratory data were correlated to clinical risk factors and morphological findings of the occlusion site. A controlgroup of 35 individuals similar in age, gender and vascular risk factors was analysed. Results: Haematocrit values were slightly but not significantly elevated compared with control subjects. The alpha-2-macroglobulin was significantly increased whereas other proteins and fibrinogen were within the reference. Visible retinal emboli were found exclusively in retinal arterial occlusion, cooton-wool-spots as a sign of ischemia were more frequent in venous occlusion. Wether polycythemia nor gamma-paraproteinemia or leukemia were diagnosed. Conclusion: The results suggest that increased alpha-2-macroglobulin and haematocrit may be additional pathogenetic factors of retinal occlusion disease. Nevertheless hyperlipoproteinemia seems to be a more cautionable aspect than other hyperviscous syndroms. The appearance of retinal emboli in arterial occlusion respectively of cotton-wool-spots in venous occlusion confirm the embolic respectively haemodynamic etiology of retinal vascular occlusion.
Keywords: 615 vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease • 355 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • 554 retina