Is retinal vein occlusion associated with depression symptoms? A nationwide cohort study

Retinal vessels share similar anatomical and physiological characteristics with the cerebral microvasculature, and abnormal cerebral blood flow is reportedly associated with depressive disorder. However, there is limited evidence regarding the relationship between depression and the risk of retinal vein occlusion (RVO). This study aimed to investigate the association between depression and the prospective risk of RVO using nationally representative longitudinal data. This retrospective, nationwide, population-based cohort study included 9,178,222 people aged 20 years or older who underwent the Korean National Health Screening Program examination in 2009. The depression group consisted of subjects whose initial diagnoses were made between 2009 and 2010 (n = 128,700). The predictive value for RVO was analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models. From the Kaplan-Meier curves, the depression group showed significantly higher RVO incidence probability, relative to the comparison group (P < .0001). After all confounding variables were adjusted, the hazard ratio of RVO in the depression group with or without recurrence was 1.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.076-1.338) and 1.087 (95% CI: 1.012-1.167), respectively, relative to the comparison group. This is the first nationwide, population-based, epidemiologic study that evaluated the association between depression and the risk of RVO development. The presence of depression was significantly associated with increased risks of RVO, and the recurrence of depression showed a higher RVO incidence probability.

Automated summary

This study found that depression was significantly associated with an increased risk of retinal vein occlusion, and the recurrence of depression further increased the risk of RVO development.