Affiliation:
1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, 48149 Muenster, Germany
2. Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany
Abstract
The aim of the article is to investigate the seasonality of acute submacular hemorrhages (SMHs) in a European population and analyze the influence of the seasons, arterial hypertension, and intake of anticoagulatory/antiplatelet (AC/AP) medication on hemorrhage size. This retrospective, monocentric study included 164 eyes of 164 patients treated for acute SMH at the University Hospital Münster, Germany, between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2021. Data on the day of occurrence, hemorrhage size, and general patient characteristics were recorded. “Test for cyclic trends in incidence data” and the Chi-Square Test were applied to investigate seasonal variations in SMH incidence. Fisher’s exact test was used to investigate the influence of the seasons, arterial hypertension, and intake of AC/AP medication on hemorrhage size. A statistical analysis did not reveal significant seasonal variations in the occurrence of SMHs (p = 0.81). While the seasons and the presence of systemic arterial hypertension did not exert a significant influence, the intake of AC/AP medication significantly affected the size of SMH (p = 0.03). In this European cohort, no significant seasonal variations of SMHs were observed. However, in patients with risk factors, such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), the chance of an increase in hemorrhage size should be considered when initiating AC/AP therapy.