title: Risk factors associated with retinal vein occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the most frequent retinal vascular disease after diabetic retinopathy in which arterial risk factors are much more relevant than venous factors. The objective was to evaluate the role of risk factors in the development of the first episode of RVO.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred patients with RVO [mean age 56 years, 42% females and mean body mass index (BMI) 27.5 kg/m(2)] were recruited consecutively from the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in Valencia (Spain). All subjects underwent clinical assessment including anthropometric and blood pressure measurements and laboratory test including homocysteine, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLAs) and thrombophilia studies. In half of the subjects, a carotid ultrasonography was performed. Three control populations matched by age, sex and BMI from different population-based studies were used to compare the levels and prevalence of arterial risk factors. One cohort of young patients with venous thromboembolic disease was used to compare the venous risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood pressure levels and the prevalence of hypertension were significantly higher in the RVO population when compared with those for the general populations. There was also a large proportion of undiagnosed hypertension within the RVO group. Moreover, carotid evaluation revealed that a large proportion of patients with RVO had evidence of subclinical organ damage. In addition, homocysteine levels and prevalence of aPLAs were similar to the results obtained in our cohort of venous thromboembolic disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that hypertension is the key factor in the development of RVO, and that RVO can be the first manifestation of an undiagnosed hypertension. Furthermore, the majority of these patients had evidence of atherosclerotic disease. Among the venous factors, a thrombophilia study does not seem to be useful and only the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia and aPLAs is higher than in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Fundación de Investigación del Hospital Clínico de Valencia- INCLIVA, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain; "Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) de Fisiopatología, Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROB)", Institute of Health Carlos III, Minister of Health, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Furió
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fabiá
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: González-Albert
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rojo-Martínez
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Martínez-Larrad
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mena-Martín
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Soriguer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serrano-Ríos
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Martín-Escudero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Redón
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: García-Fuster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000150:complications