[The epidemiology of retinal vein thromboses in hypertensive patients]

A total of 518 patients aged 35 to 65 with stages I and II essential hypertension without clinical signs of utherosclerosis were examined. 3.2% of patients had a history of retinal vein thrombosis (RVT). RVT as a complication of essential hypertension is most prevalent in men aged 51 to 55 and in women aged 56 to 60. This complication was observed only in patients with stage II hypertension, being 4 times more incident in patients with crises and 9.5 times more frequent in subjects who neglected regular antihypotensive treatment. A cooperation of the ophthalmologist and therapist is the basic condition of effectively treating patients with essential hypertension and a history of RVT, because proper treatment of the underlying condition prevents RVT.