European Prevalence of Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Forecasting Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide an estimate of the number of current and future patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in Europe. We systematically searched 11 literature databases on 18 May 2022 for studies on the prevalence of PCV among a consecutive and representative group of patients with suspected neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Prevalence of PCV in patients with suspected neovascular AMD was summarized and included in a prevalence meta-analysis. We then used current population data and population forecasts by Eurostat and the Office for National Statistics to determine current and future number of patients with neovascular AMD in Europe. Then, we calculated the number of patients with PCV with our calculated estimate of the prevalence of PCV among Europeans suspected with neovascular AMD. A total of five eligible studies were identified which included a total of 1359 patients. All these studies used the gold standard of indocyanine green angiography as a routine part of their diagnostic approach. Among patients undergoing detailed retinal examination for suspected neovascular AMD, our meta-analysis calculated the prevalence of PCV to be 8.3% (95% confidence interval: 6.8–9.8%). Our population estimates find that a total of 217,404 patients with PCV exist in Europe in the year 2022, which constitutes 0.04% of the entire population of Europe. This number is estimated to increase to 287,517 patients in the year 2040. Our estimates are important for different healthcare stakeholders, especially when planning and allocating expensive resources.

Baseline Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomographic Retinal Layer Features Identified by Artificial Intelligence Predict the Course of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

“…4 The current gold standard for treating patients with cCSC is half-dose PDT, which has been shown to be superior to the other treatment options, such as high-density subthreshold micropulse laser and oral mineralocorticoid antagonists, such as eplerenone, in large, multicenter clinical trials; however, there is a current worldwide shortage of verteporfin, pushing clinicians to treat with PDT in only the most urgent cases of CSC. [13][14][15][16] This situation has exacerbated the importance to distin-guish the predictive biomarkers for the clinical course of diseases to facilitate an early diagnosis and management of these patients. Several studies have previously examined the predictive role of retinal biomarkers in CSC.…”

Pachychoroid Spectrum Diseases in Patients with Cushing’s Syndrome: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses

“…Approximately one in five patients with Cushing’s syndrome may have PPE, and the prevalence of CSC is 7.7% and PCV is 2.8%. For comparison, prevalence studies find these conditions at a much lower rate in the general population: the prevalence of CSC is estimated to approximately 0.1% in elderly Chinese in the Beijing Eye Study [ 21 ], and the prevalence of PCV is estimated to approximately 0.04% [ 22 ]. These findings of our review strongly suggest that pachychoroid spectrum diseases are significantly more common in patients with Cushing’s syndrome.…”

Prevalence of optic disc drusen: A systematic review, meta‐analysis and forecasting study

“…Finally, we performed a forecasting study by extrapolating the results of previous studies to population statistics and forecasts as calculated by the United Nations Population Division data. This is a well‐described methodological approach for estimating current and future global prevalence estimates of various diseases (Møller‐Lorentzen et al, 2020; Subhi et al, 2022; van Dijk et al, 2022). Ethical approval was not required for this study according to Danish law.…”