AI Article Synopsis
- The study examines how the sizes of retinal arterioles and venules are linked to various cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory markers in a diverse group of people aged 45 to 84.
- It involved 5,979 participants from six U.S. communities, analyzing their retinal images along with standard cardiovascular health indicators like blood pressure, body mass index, and inflammatory biomarkers.
- Findings show that smaller retinal arterioles are connected to higher blood pressure and obesity, while larger venules are associated with diabetes and systemic inflammation, with differences noted among racial and ethnic groups.
Article Abstract
Purpose: To describe the relationship of retinal arteriolar and venular caliber with cardiovascular risk factors, including inflammatory biomarkers, in a multiethnic population of whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Chinese.
Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising 5979 persons aged 45 to 84 years residing in six U.S. communities. Retinal vascular caliber was measured and summarized from digital retinal photographs. Standard cardiovascular risk factors, including biomarkers of inflammation (e.g., high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], interleukin [IL]-6, and plasma fibrinogen) and endothelial dysfunction (e.g., soluble intercellular adhesion molecule [sICAM]-1 [, plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI]-1) were assessed.
Results: Mean retinal arteriolar caliber was 144.1+/-14.4 (SD) microm, and venular caliber 214.0+/-22.2 microm. In models controlling for age, gender, race-ethnicity, and center, smaller retinal arteriolar caliber was related to higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hypertension status, current alcohol consumption, greater body mass index, and higher levels of total homocysteine; larger retinal arteriolar caliber was related to diabetes, current cigarette smoking, and higher levels of plasma fibrinogen; and larger retinal venular caliber was related to diabetes, current cigarette smoking, greater body mass index and waist-hip ratio, higher levels of serum glucose, plasma triglyceride, plasma LDL-cholesterol, hsCRP, plasma fibrinogen, IL6, sICAM-1, and PAI-1 and lower levels of HDL-cholesterol. In multivariate analyses, blacks and Hispanics had larger retinal arteriolar and venular calibers than did whites and Chinese.
Conclusions: Retinal arteriolar and venular caliber is associated with a range of cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, measures of obesity, and dyslipidemia. Venular caliber is also associated with systemic inflammation.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258139 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/iovs.05-1539 | DOI Listing |
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