BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH BRANCH RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION

Purpose: To evaluate short-term blood pressure variability over 24 hours in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) versus controls. Methods: A sample of 80 patients with BRVO (i.e., Group 1) and 75 controls (i.e., Group 2) was formed for a prospective, cross-sectional, comparative, case-control study. In a 24-hour period, each participant's blood pressure was measured by ambulatory monitoring every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night. Mean values of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), arterial blood pressure (ABP), and a variability index recorded during the day, at night, and throughout the 24-hour period were subjected to statistical analyses. Results: Mean daytime, night-time, and 24-hour SBP, DBP, and ABP values did not significantly differ between the groups. However, mean variability index values of daytime, night-time, and 24-hour SBP, DBP, and ABP significantly increased in patients with BRVO versus controls. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that 24-hour blood pressure variability in each of SBP, DBP, and ABP was an independent determinant of BRVO. Conclusion: Because the daytime, night-time, and 24-hour blood pressure variability in SBP, DBP, and ABP was significantly greater among patients with BRVO than among controls, blood pressure variability could factor into the pathogenesis of BRVO.