HMN 2026: how Cardiovascular risk score identifies risk for ocular disease

The Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) cardiovascular risk score stratifies risk for multiple ocular diseases, according to a study published online in Ophthalmology.

Deyu Sun, Ph.D., from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a historical prospective cohort study using electronic health record data from the “All of Us” Research Program to examine whether the PCE cardiovascular risk score is associated with future age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and hypertensive retinopathy (HTR).

A total of 35,909 adults aged 40 to 79 years with complete variables for PCE calculation within a six-month period were included in the study. Individual-level PCE score was classified into four risk categories.

The researchers observed significant associations for higher PCE risk categories with an increased risk for ocular diseases. Compared with the low-risk group, the high-risk group had the highest hazard ratios for AMD, DR, glaucoma, RVO, and HTR in the primary models, adjusted for race, body mass index, chronic kidney disease, and education (hazard ratios, 6.22, 5.93, 2.33, 3.38, and 4.47, respectively).

AMD, DR, and HTR had the highest adjusted C-indices (0.72, 0.751, and 0.768, respectively), while moderate C-indices were seen for glaucoma and RVO (0.625 and 0.654, respectively). The PCE-AMD association was mainly explained by age in component-adjustment sensitivity models, while associations for DR and HTR remained robust.

“These findings support the potential value of applying PCE in primary care to identify at-risk individuals for ocular diseases and facilitate earlier preventive strategies,” the authors write.

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