A matched-control comparison of serious adverse events after intravitreal injections of bevacizumab for age-related macular degeneration and cataract extraction

PURPOSE: The study reported here investigated the rates of systemic serious adverse events (SAEs) following treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in comparison with a matched control group. METHODS: A retrospective age- and sex-matched case-control design was used. Data were collected using patient charts and telephone surveys. The main outcome measure was difference in number of hospital admissions between the two groups. Hospitalizations were further analyzed according to whether or not they were due to arteriothrombotic SAEs. RESULTS: Each group comprised 65 participants. There were significantly more hospital admissions among bevacizumab-treated patients than in the control group (P = 0.039). Sub-analysis of hospitalizations due to arteriothrombotic causes did not reveal a statistically significant difference between groups (P = 0.629). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that intravitreal bevacizumab is not associated with an increased risk of arteriothrombotic SAEs. Its widespread use for the treatment of AMD appears to be systemically safe.