[Retino-vitreous hemorrhage in hemoglobinopathies]

During 15 months all the patients with retinal or vitreous hemorrhages diagnosed in departments of ophthalmology or internal medicine in Bamako (Mali) were submitted to an aetiological assessment. Only patients with hemorrhages caused by a general aetiology were included in the study. 64 cases were selected according to these criteria. Hemoglobinopathies were involved in 14.1% of cases, high blood pressure in 31.8%, diabetes mellitus in 10.9% and miscellaneous causes in 15.6%. In 26.6% of cases an association between several of these aetiologies was observed. SC hemoglobin was the most frequent and the most serious. AS and AC traits were involved in 2 retinal hemorrhages' cases. AS and AC traits' responsibility in ocular hemorrhages associated with diabetes mellitus or high blood pressure was doubtful. A frequent association of sickle cell trait and high blood pressure was noticed. One case of Eales syndrome is reported during a diabetes mellitus-AS trait. All the patients were submitted to a treatment by pentoxifylline. Moreover 5 patients were treated by a laser coagulation and 2 patients by cryoapplication. The interest of the hemoglobin electrophoresis for the aetiologic assessment of retinal and vitreous hemorrhages is stressed.