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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence for the Evaluation of Retinal Diseases
Published on: March 11, 2016
[Prevalence of Elevated Lipoprotein (a) Levels in Patients < 60 Years of Age with Retinal Vein Occlusion]
C Kuhli-Hattenbach1, P Hellstern2, W Miesbach3
1Klinik für Augenheilkunde, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt.
Background:
The potential impact of elevated Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels on retinal venous occlusive (RVO) diseases with regard to age and various risk factors has not been studied extensively.
Patients And Methods:
In a retrospective case-control study, thrombophilia data of 106 young patients (< 60 years at the time of the RVO or a previous thromboembolic event) with RVO and 76 healthy subjects were evaluated.
Results:
Elevated Lp(a) plasma levels were significantly more prevalent among RVO patients (29.2 %) than among controls (9.2 %; p = 0.0009). Lp(a) levels were found to be significantly (p = 0.012) different between patients and controls. Moreover, we found that an unusual personal or family history of thromboembolism was a strong predictor of elevated Lp(a) (p = 0.03). We observed a significant correlation between elevated Lp(a) and other coagulation disorders (p = 0.005). Multivariate analysis showed that elevated lipoprotein(a) levels (OR: 3.5; p = 0.003) were an independent risk factor for the development of RVO.
Conclusions:
Elevated plasma levels of Lp(a) are associated with the development of RVO. Selective screening of young patients and subjects with a personal or family history of thromboembolism may be helpful in identifying RVO patients with elevated Lp(a).
