Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

PurposeOur study aimed to determine whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common among branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) patients without systemic risk factors using a Watch PAT-100 portable monitoring device.MethodsThe study participants included consecutive patients with BRVO of less than 3 months duration without any risk factors known to be associated with OSA (diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke, hematologic diseases, autoimmune disease, etc.) except for hypertension. All patients underwent full-night unattended polysomnography by means of a portable monitor Watch PAT-100 device. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was calculated as the average number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep, and an AHI score of five or more events was diagnosed as OSA.ResultsAmong 19 patients (6 males and 13 females), 42.1% (8 of 19) had an AHI reflective of OSA. In the 13 patients who had no concurrent illness, including hypertension, 30.8% (4 of 13) had positive test results for OSA; three of these patients were ranked as mild OSA, while one had moderate OSA. The OSA group had an average AHI of 12.3 ± 7.8, and the average AHI was 2.0 ± 0.9 in the non-OSA group. Although it was not statistically proven, we found that OSA patients experienced a more severe form of BRVO.ConclusionsWe found a higher than expected rate of OSA in BRVO patients lacking concomitant diseases typically associated with OSA. Our findings suggest that OSA could be an additional risk factor in the pathogenesis of BRVO or at least a frequently associated condition that could function as a triggering factor.

New Developments in the Classification, Pathogenesis, Risk Factors, Natural History, and Treatment of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

“…Three recent meta-analyses of RVO and thrombophilic factors demonstrated that only hyperhomocysteinemia and anticardiolipin antibodies play a role in the pathogenesis of RVO [24, 29, 51]. Additional studies also reported other less common risk factors such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), inadvertent retrobulbar needle perforation, axial length and vitreous chamber depth, liver or renal diseases, and even posterior vitreous adhesion [52–57]. Moreover, BRVO may also be easier to find in people with gene defects, like adiponectin +276 G/T and AGTR1 A1166C single-nucleotide polymorphism, which are related to arterial stiffness [58].…”

Obstructive sleep apnoea in diabetes: Does it matter?

“…78 Other retinal changes described in OSA included retinal arteriolar narrowing and venular widening or branch retinal vein occlusion. 79,80…”

“…78 Other retinal changes described in OSA included retinal arteriolar narrowing and venular widening or branch retinal vein occlusion. 79,80 In patients with T2D, the relationship between OSA and DR is complex and the results of multiple studies were inconsistent; this is, in part, due to the poor methodology of some of the available literature. A recent systematic review found that out of 16 studies that examined the relationship between OSA and DR, 15 were cross-sectional in nature and 1 cohort study, 81 which highlights the need for more robust studies in this area.…”

Characteristics of systemic and regional hemodynamics in ischemic retinal vein occlusion in young and middle-aged adults

“…Выявленная разница в толщине хориоидеи оказалась несущественной. В обеих группах отмечена обратная зависимость между длиной передне-задней оси глазного яблока и коэффициентом Янтча (r=-0,51, r=-0,45), амплитудой глазного пульса (r=-0,52 r=-0,28) и пульсовым объемом переднего сегмента (r=-0,46 r=-0,32 [29].…”