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A 3‐year follow‐up study on the risk of stroke among patients with conjunctival haemorrhage
Author(s) -
Wang TsungJen,
Keller Joseph J.,
Sheu JauJiuan,
Lin HerngChing
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2011.02359.x
Subject(s) - medicine , stroke (engine) , atrial fibrillation , incidence (geometry) , hazard ratio , diabetes mellitus , cohort , population , proportional hazards model , cohort study , confidence interval , mechanical engineering , physics , environmental health , endocrinology , optics , engineering
. Purpose: To the best of our knowledge, no large population‐based studies on the relationship between conjunctival haemorrhage and stroke have been conducted to date. Using a nationwide population‐based data set, this study investigated the relationship between conjunctival haemorrhage and the subsequent risk of stroke within a 3‐year period following diagnosis. Methods: We analysed data sourced from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. The study cohort consisted of 17 349 patients with conjunctival haemorrhage and 86 745 comparison subjects. Each patient was individually tracked for a 3‐year period from their index date to identify all those who had subsequently received a diagnosis of stroke. Results: The incidence rate of stroke was 2.44 (95% CI = 2.31–2.55) per 100 person‐years in patients with conjunctival haemorrhage and 1.63 (95% CI = 1.59–1.68) per 100 person‐years in comparison patients. After adjusting for patients’ monthly income and geographic location, as well as for hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease, stratified Cox proportional hazards regressions revealed a statistically significant hazard ratio for stroke in patients with conjunctival haemorrhage (HR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.24–1.42, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this study, patients with conjunctival haemorrhage were found to be at a significant risk of stroke during a 3‐year follow‐up period after diagnosis.