Digoxin cannot account for the reported association of EKG abnormalities and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (by EKG criteria) in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachments has been reported to be more than four times that found in age-matched controls. Adhesion between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the photoreceptors is facilitated by RPE transport. Because RPE transport is driven by a Na-K ATPase, it has been suggested that the correlation of EKG abnormalities and retinal detachment may be due to clinical use of digoxin, a Na-K ATPase inhibitor frequently given to patients with cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of EKG abnormalities in 299 consecutive patients with primary retinal detachment is about the same as that reported previously. However, 92% of these patients with EKG abnormalities did not take digoxin. Therefore, clinical use of digoxin cannot account for the reported association of EKG abnormalities and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
Frambach
D A
DA
Eye Research Institute of Retina Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts.
Roy
C E
CE
Valentine
J L
JL
Boles
S F
SF
Weiter
J J
JJ
Schepens
C L
CL
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004077:Digoxin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000209:etiology*; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000150:complications*
D004077:Digoxin