Prevalence and associated relating factors in patients with hereditary retinal dystrophy: a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence, incidence and relating factors that are associated with hereditary retinal dystrophy (HRD) in Taiwan from 2000 to 2013. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a nationwide, population-based, retrospective case–control study using National Health Insurance Database. Study groups are patients with HRD as case group; age-matched patients without any diagnosis of HRD as control group. We enrolled 2418 study subjects, of which 403 were HRD patients. Important relating factors such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, liver cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease, stroke, hyperlipidaemia, asthma, depression and dementia are also included. EXPOSURE: Patients diagnosed with HRD were retrieved from National Health Insurance Database. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: OR calculated between the relating factors and HRD for objects and stratified by age and sex group between 2000 and 2013. RESULTS: Four hundred and three patients were included in the study group and 2015 in the control group. The incidence of HRD was 3.29/100 000, and the prevalence of HRD was 40.5/100 000 persons. The tendency of study group to have more cataract, cystoid macula oedema (CME) as compared with the control group. Among the subgroup with comorbidities, the relating factors such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease was significantly higher among HRD patients with age 55 and above. CONCLUSIONS: 74% of the diagnosed HRD are retinitis pigmentosa. Population-based data suggested an increased incidence of cataract in younger patients, whereas older HRD patients are more susceptible to develop CME. Further work is needed to elucidate the mechanism between these ophthalmological disorders and HRD.