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Published on: August 6, 2021
Hyperhomocysteinemia: a new risk factor for central retinal vein occlusion
1University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Purpose:
Previous studies have documented that an elevated plasma homocysteine level is a risk factor for vascular disease. The purpose of this study is to determine whether hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for central retinal vein occlusion.
Methods:
This case-controlled study involved reassessment of 74 patients with documented central retinal vein occlusion. Control subjects consisted of individuals referred to the same clinic for assessment of a nonretinal vascular disease. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as a total plasma homocysteine level above the 95th percentile in the control group.
Results:
The mean total plasma homocysteine level was 11.58 mumol/L for cases and 9.49 mumol/L for controls. Of the 74 patients with a central retinal vein occlusion, 21.6% had total plasma homocysteine levels above the 95th percentile in the control group (odds ratio, 6.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.81 to 23.50, P = .003). Hyperhomocysteinemia was present in 55% of cases with bilateral disease, 30% of ischemic cases, and 31% of cases with severe visual loss.
Conclusion:
Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for central retinal vein occlusion.
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