Psoriasis Increases Risk of Retinal Vein Occlusion in Diabetic Patients, claims research
Researchers have found that psoriasis significantly increases the risk of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in patients with Type 2 DM. This was based on an extensive retrospective analysis of nation-wide cohort medical records between January 2009 and December 2012. From this study, a conclusion was drawn egarding monitoring RVO that could further contribute to vision loss. The study was published in RETINA journal by Lee Mee and colleagues.
The current research focused on testing the relationship between psoriasis and the occurrence of RVO in Type 2 DM patients. In fact, this study analyzed a large dataset to assess whether psoriasis is an independent risk factor for RVO, other than through the impact of diabetes alone. That is important, since the clarification of this relationship can give a basis upon which early detection and prevention strategies for RVO among diabetic patients can be found.
This retrospective cohort study reviewed medical records from January 2009 through December 2012 by using a nation-wide database. It focused on patients aged 20 years or above who had been diagnosed with Type 2 DM. It compared the incidence of RVO in two arms of patients, with psoriasis and without psoriasis, comprising 23,725 patients and 2,547,121 patients, respectively. The follow-up continued to December 2018 for capture of RVO incidence in PsO and non-PsO groups.
Key Findings
• The study population comprised 2,745,689 patients with Type 2 DM. Of them, 23,725 patients suffered from psoriasis, and 2,547,121 did not have the condition.
• There were 497 RVO cases in the psoriasis group, accounting for an incidence rate of 3.14 per 1,000 person-years. Compared to this, the control group developed 42,388 cases of RVO, accounting for an incidence rate of 2.44 per 1,000 person-years.
• In the multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, patients with psoriasis showed a significantly higher risk of developing RVO compared to that without psoriasis, with a hazard ratio of 1.216 (95% CI: 1.11–1.33) after adjusting for other covariates.
These findings of the large-scale study emphasize that psoriasis is an independent risk factor for RVO in patients with Type 2 DM. The higher incidence rate of RVO among psoriasis patients shows that more attention should be given to monitoring vascular complications in patients with psoriasis. It was also shown that psoriasis increased the risk of RVO over and above the risk conferred by diabetes itself and pointed out the need for an integrated approach to management in patients with both diseases. The increased risk underlines the fact that health caregivers should be very attentive to diabetic patients with psoriasis regarding RVO and consider early preventive measures. By acknowledging this fact, the clinicians could improve the patient's outcome and, possibly, prevent a loss of vision that is associated with RVO.
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