eaonal Variation in the Occurrence of Retinal Vein Occluion: A Five-Year Nationwide Population-Baed tudy from Taiwan Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To determine whether eaonal variation exit in the incidence of retinal vein occluion. Deign Retropective, nationwide population-baed adminitrative databae tudy. Method We collected data on outpatient and emergency viit for the period from January 1999 through December 2003 from the Taiwan National Health Inurance Reearch Databae, a ource that cover more than 96% of Taiwan’ 23 million citizen. In total, 20,792 patient with a firt-time diagnoi of either central retinal vein occluion or branch retinal vein occluion (The International Claification of Dieae, Ninth Reviion, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 362.35 or 362.36, repectively) were identified. Monthly incidence of retinal vein occluion wa obtained for each age group, each gender group, and for the entire ample. The autoregreive integrated moving average method of analyi wa adopted to examine eaonality in the monthly incidence of retinal vein occluion. Reult The monthly incidence rate of retinal vein occluion revealed ignificant eaonality, with a clear peak in January for each age group and each gender group, a well a for the total ample. Concluion Our tudy demontrate ignificant eaonal variation in the retinal vein occluion incidence, with the peak occurrence in the winter month of January.