Association of subclinical atherosclerosis with retinal vein occlusion: A prospective, case-control study

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is known to be associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk factors, but the association between specific markers of subclinical atherosclerosis has not been established. To investigate this association, we compared the results of cardiovascular examinations of 76 patients with RVO and 175 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were significantly higher in the RVO group than in the control group. Carotid plaque (54.3% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.004) was more frequent in the RVO group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of carotid plaque [odds ratio (OR) 3.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38–7.16, p = 0.006], as well as smoking, LDL-C level, and baPWV was associated with RVO. Additionally, a multinomial logistic regression model showed that the presence of carotid plaque (OR 3.94, 95% CI 1.65–9.41, p = 0.002) and LDL-C level were associated with branch RVO, whereas smoking and baPWV were associated with central RVO. In conclusion, RVO is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis markers, including carotid plaques and baPWV. These results support the hypothesis of a vascular etiology of RVO and suggest the evaluation of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with RVO.