Prevalence, pattern and risk factors of retinal vein occlusion in an elderly population in Nepal: the Bhaktapur retina study

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aims to explore the prevalence, pattern and risk factors of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in an elderly population of Nepal.MethodOne thousand eight hundred sixty subjects of age 60 years and above were enrolled in a population-based, cross-sectional study. Detailed history, visual acuity, anterior segment and posterior segment examinations were done. Blood pressure, non-fasting blood sugar, body mass index and abdominal girth were measured. Retinal vein occlusions were further divided into branch retinal (BRVO), hemi-retinal and central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).ResultAge ranged from 60 to 95 years with a mean of 69.64 ± 7.31 years. Overall population prevalence for RVO was 2.95% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 2.23–3.83), BRVO 2.74% (95% CI: 2.05–3.58) and CRVO 0.21% (95% CI: 0.06–0.55). BRVO was seen in 51 subjects (92.73%) and CRVO in 4 (7.27%). Among the total RVO, unilateral and bilateral involvement was 85.45% and 14.55%, respectively. Among the subjects with BRVO and CRVO, 37.25% and 50% had low vision, respectively. The risk of RVO increased with ageing and was more among males. There was an increased risk of RVO among those with hypertension, and with diabetes and hypertension. There was also an increased risk of RVO among subjects with hypermetropia, those with pseudophakia and those who were smokers and consumed alcohol.ConclusionRetinal vein occlusion is a common retinal vascular disorder in the elderly population of Nepal. The main risk factors for RVO were increasing age and hypertension.

Prevalence of Retinal Vein Occlusion in Europe: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…2). This is in keeping with other published studies [3, 10-13, 33, 34, 36]. Rogers et al [32] compiled prevalence data on RVO from 15 studies including 68,751 individuals from the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.…”

“…The prevalence of RVO in the populations analysed in this study [30, 33, 34] ranged from 0.5% in the German GHS to 1.1% in the French ALIENOR study, which is likely due to the difference in age of these 2 cohorts. Participants in the ALIENOR study were noticeably older than the participants of the GHS (Fig.…”

“…In the literature, epidemiological data on RVO have been reported for different geographical regions and countries [8, 10-14, 20, 32-37] reporting prevalence rates between 0.3 and 3% [32, 34, 38]. However, prevalence data for Europe are currently unavailable.…”

Real-Life Clinical Effectiveness of Razumab® (the World’s First Biosimilar of Ranibizumab) in Retinal Vein Occlusion: A Subgroup Analysis of the Pooled Retrospective RE-ENACT Study

“…BRVO is more common than CRVO [9], and may result in intraocular inflammatory changes; it affects approximately 1% of the population. The estimated prevalence of BRVO ranges from 0.6 to 1.1% [10]. It can cause severe vision loss through macular edema, retinal neovascularization, and retinal detachment [11].…”

Treatment Outcomes of Retinal Vein Occlusion in Clinical Practice in Nepal

“…The prevalence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO), a common cause of vision impairment often associated with cardiovascular or other systemic diseases, in Nepal is on the rise. [1][2][3] The cause for the impaired vision in eyes with RVO (branch retinal vein occlusion [BRVO] and central retinal vein occlusion [CRVO]) is macular edema and ischemia. [4] Treatment options for RVO includes laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections of either vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (VEGF) or steroids.…”