Study investigates factors associated with stroke following retinal artery occlusion
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Several risk factors, including age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and tobacco use, may be associated with increased incidence of stroke in patients with retinal artery occlusion, according to a study.
“RAO is the ophthalmic analog of a stroke and therefore is thromboembolic in nature,” Samer Elsamna, a medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said at the virtual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
The goal of the study was to investigate the potential risk factors for increased risk of developing stroke in patients with retinal artery occlusion (RAO) using a large set of information obtained from the National Inpatient Sample database.
Out of a set of nearly 90 million registered patients collected between 2002 and 2013, nearly 20,000 cases of RAO were identified. The patients were divided into two groups, those admitted with primary diagnosis of stroke and those with no previous or current diagnosis of stroke.
The stroke group had 1,157 patients, and the non-stroke group had 18,652 patients. In the stroke group, there was a slightly higher prevalence of men (55%) and Black patients, but the differences were not statistically significant. There were no cases of stroke in the 0 to 19 years age group, and generally, patients younger than 40 of age presented with significantly reduced stroke risk. Patients with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, tobacco use, valvular disease and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease had an increased incidence of stroke. Carotid stenosis, coronary artery disease, transient ischemic attacks, cardiac catheterization and septicemia were all independently associated with a decreased risk for stroke.
“Identifying potentially modifiable risk factors may have a role in reducing the risk and burden of stroke in these ophthalmic patients,” Elsamna said. “A prospective, randomized study outlining the severity of comorbidities, detailed hypercoagulability characteristics and medication used would be the best next step to evaluate the effect of RAO on cerebrovascular accidents.”
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Elsamna ST, et al. Assessing the risk of stroke development following retinal artery occlusion. Presented at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting; June 12, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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