Increased Fibrinogen to Albumin Ratio in Ischemic Retinal Vein Occlusions

Abstract

Purpose To demonstrate the relationship between ischemia and plasma fibrinogen and serum albumin levels in cases of retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods This study included 44 patients with central RVO (CRVO), 68 patients with branch RVO (BRVO), and 54 age- and sex-matched controls, for a total of 166 subjects. All of the subjects underwent full ophthalmologic examinations and complete physical examinations, including a detailed medical history and blood count, and biochemical parameters. Results The mean fibrinogen to albumin ratios were 92.5 ± 36.1 for the patients with CRVO, 84.5 ± 31.5 for the patients with BRVO, and 68.4 ± 12.2 for the control group. Overall, the patients with CRVO and patients with BRVO with ischemia had higher fibrinogen to albumin ratios and higher fibrinogen levels. Moreover, significant positive correlations were found between ischemia and the fibrinogen to albumin ratio (r = 0.732, p = 0.001) and the fibrinogen level (r = 0.669, p = 0.001). Conclusions The fibrinogen to albumin ratio is significantly associated with ischemic RVO. Instead of complicated and invasive methods, such as a retinal angiogram, the fibrinogen to albumin ratio could be a useful initial diagnostic test to predict ischemia in RVO.