[Relation between changes in retinal microcirculation and other organ damage in hypertension and regression with antihypertensive treatment].

Background And Objective: The possibility to aplicate a semi-automatic computerized system to evaluate the calibre of retinal blood vessels, has shown very good reproducibility, and have let us measure the calibres of retinal arterioles and veins, and their ratio (AVR).

Patients And Method: We have measured the calibres of retinal vessels in a group of 51 hypertensive outpatients before and after 6 months' treatment with losartan or, losartan plus hydrochlorothiazide if the association was required to adequate control of the blood pressure.

Results: AVR increased from 0.

Regression of alterations in retinal microcirculation following treatment for arterial hypertension.

Evaluation of early hypertension-related alterations in retinal microcirculation has been subjective and poorly reproducible. The authors recently described a semiautomatic computerized system for evaluation of the calibre of retinal blood vessels that has shown very good reproducibility. In the study, this system was used to measure the calibres of retinal arterioles and veins, and their ratio, in a group of 51 hypertensive outpatients before and after 6 months of treatment with losartan or, if required for satisfactory blood pressure control, losartan plus hydrochlorothiazide.