Risk of Stroke, Myocardial Infarction, and Death After Retinal Artery Occlusion.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cardiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Retinal artery occlusions (RAOs) warrant emergent stroke workup, but the associated risks of mortality and subsequent vascular events remain unclear.
• Understanding these risks is crucial for patient management and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the short-term and long-term incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and death in patients following an RAO versus a matched control group.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study utilizing TriNetX electronic health records from over 111 million patients (2003-2023).
• Patients diagnosed with RAO were matched with a control group diagnosed with cataract based on age, sex, race, and comorbidities.
• Exclusion criteria included prior stroke or MI within two years of diagnosis.

Main Results:

• Patients with RAO exhibited significantly higher rates of death at 2 weeks, 30 days, 1, 5, and 10 years post-diagnosis compared to controls.
• The risk of stroke was substantially elevated in the RAO cohort across all measured intervals (2 weeks to 10 years).
• Similarly, the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) was higher in RAO patients at all measured time points.

Conclusions:

• Patients experiencing RAO have an increased risk of mortality, stroke, and MI, persisting from short-term to long-term follow-up.
• These findings underscore the necessity for multidisciplinary evaluation and sustained systemic monitoring for individuals post-RAO.