Reactions 1271 - 26 Sep 2009

★ SCitalopram

First report of central retinal vein occlusion: casereport

A 40-year-old man developed central retinal veinocclusion while receiving citalopram.

Three weeks after starting citalopram 30 mg/day[therapeutic indication not stated], the man presented witha 1-week history of sudden-onset blurred vision affectinghis right eye. His visual acuity was 6/6 OD and 6/4 OS andhis intraocular pressures were 14mm Hg bilaterally. Norelative afferent pupillary defect was noted. The results of acolour vision test and anterior chamber examination werenormal. Retinal haemorrhaging in all quadrants was evidenton posterior segment examination of the affected eye,along with significant vessel tortuosity and optic discoedema. These findings were consistent with central retinalvein occlusion. Laboratory investigations, includingcomplete blood count, ESR, fibrinogen level and testing forfactor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A mutations, wereunremarkable. [Treatment and patient outcome not stated.]

Author comment: "In our patient we interpret that theuse of citalopram was a potentiating factor in the plateletaggregation contributing to his central retinal vein occlusion."Hardisty AD, et al. Citalopram-associated central retinal vein occlusion.International Ophthalmology 29: 303-304, No. 4, 2009 - England 801150781

» Editorial comment: A search of AdisBase, Medline andEmbase did not reveal any previous case reports of centralretinal vein occlusion associated with citalopram. The WHOADR database contained six reports of retinal vein occlusionassociated with citalopram.

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Reactions 26 Sep 2009 No. 12710114-9954/10/1271-0001/$14.95 © 2010 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved