Arterial and retinal vascular changes in hypertensive and prehypertensive adolescents.

Introduction: Increasing evidence suggests that arterial hypertension (AHT) may begin in childhood and result in the premature development of cardiovascular disease. In view of this, we believed it would be important to investigate the early vascular changes related to early hypertension at the micro- and macrovascular levels both under normal circumstances and after cold-induced sympathetic stimulation.

Methods: In a cohort of 121 adolescent subjects, we measured peripheral and central blood pressure (pBP and cBP, respectively), pulse pressure (PP), and the augmentation index (AIx), as well as retinal vascular diameters, at baseline and during a cold pressor test (CPT).

Dynamic retinal vessel response to flicker in obesity: A methodological approach.

Obesity and related metabolic disorders affect vascular endothelial function. The use of the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA) represents a modern methodological approach to analyze vascular function in the retinal microcirculation. Whether the dynamic reaction to flicker stimulation in retinal vessels is altered in obese subjects is investigated.