Recent research on a retrospective cross-sectional analysis examined the relationship between reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) and cardiovascular disease.
What is RPD exactly?
RPD—also known as reticular pseudodrusen or subretinal drusenoid deposits are yellowish deposits that are above the RPE, unlike drusen which lies below the RPE. They are most commonly found at the superotemporal quadrant of the macula.
Note: The highest rate of occurrence for RPD is in association with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
So why is this study important?
With limited data currently available regarding systemic associations of RPD compared to drusen, the need for insight is critical, according to investigators.
Now, talk about the study.
Researchers utilized a machine-learning (ML) framework to analyze optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans sourced from the United Kingdom (UK) Biobank dataset and identify three cohorts which were:
- Participants with drusen
- Participants with RPD
- Controls
This framework also quantified the number of RPD and drusen for each participant.
Note: Five human experts verified the results from the ML framework.
Who was included in the study?
The participant breakdown was as follows:
- 768 participants with drusen
- 400 with pure drusen
- 439 with RPD
- 71 with pure RPD
- 1,170 as controls
A participant was considered RPD or drusen positive if they had at least five lesions. Participants were excluded from the study if they had bilateral drusen measuring less than 63 µm.
What were the participant demographics?
Participant demographics were:
- Aged 60+
- Mean age 64 (interquartile range [IQR] of 61.0 to 66.0)
- 55% female
- 96% White ethnicity
Findings?
The researchers found:
- Odds ratio (OR) of experiencing a stroke was 1.01 for every 10 RPD lesions
- 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00, 1.02; p = 0.028
- This finding stayed statistically significant in a multivariate analysis after adjusting for age and sex (95% CI 1.00, 1.02; p = 0.049)
- 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00, 1.02; p = 0.028
- No association between number of drusen and risk of stroke development
- No associations for RPD or drusen regarding the risk of myocardial infarction
Expert opinion?
The authors emphasized the importance of their findings, stating that, “This could be crucial for early detection and prevention strategies for strokes, as identifying people with high numbers of RPD could flag them as being at higher risk.”
Take home.
The findings from this research show that a 10-unit increase in RPD raises the chances of stroke by 1%.
This abstract was presented during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Seattle, Washington, May 5-9, 2024.