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Published on: November 10, 2017
Statins affect ocular microcirculation in patients with hypercholesterolaemia
Naim Terai1, Eberhard Spoerl, Sabine Fischer
1Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden, Germany. naim.terai@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Insights
Statin therapy significantly improved retinal microcirculation, increasing vasodilatation in arterioles and venules within four weeks for hypercholesterolemia patients. These findings suggest statins have beneficial pleiotropic effects on ocular blood vessels.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and ocular diseases.
- Statins are primarily used to lower cholesterol but may have other beneficial effects.
- Ocular microcirculation plays a crucial role in maintaining retinal health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of statin treatment on the ocular microcirculation in patients with hypercholesterolemia.
- To assess changes in retinal vessel diameter and vasodilation response after statin therapy.
Main Methods:
- Ten patients with hypercholesterolemia underwent retinal vessel analysis (RVA) before and after four weeks of statin therapy.
- Retinal arteriole and venule diameters were measured at baseline and during induced vasodilation.
- Lipid profiles (cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides) were correlated with vascular changes.
Main Results:
- Statin therapy significantly increased the baseline diameter of retinal arterioles and venules.
- A significant enhancement in flicker-induced vasodilation of retinal arterioles and venules was observed post-statin treatment.
- Improvements in ocular microcirculation correlated with lipid-lowering effects of statins.
Conclusions:
- Statin therapy demonstrates significant pleiotropic effects on the retinal microcirculation.
- The observed vasodilatation suggests an improvement in endothelial function, likely mediated by nitric oxide.
- These findings highlight potential benefits of statins beyond lipid-lowering for ocular health.
Purpose:
To investigate the effect of statins on ocular microcirculation in patients with hypercholesterolaemia.
Methods:
Ten patients with hypercholesterolaemia were included in this study. The diameter of retinal vessels was measured continuously with the retinal vessel analyser (RVA) before and 4 weeks after statin therapy. After baseline assessment, a monochromatic luminance flicker was applied to evoke retinal vasodilation. Flicker response was then analysed after 50, 150 and 250 seconds after baseline measurement. Additionally, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride levels were obtained to find a possible correlation between retinal vessel diameter changes and lipid metabolism before and after statin therapy.
Results:
The mean diameter of the arterioles before statin therapy at baseline was 106.3 ± 1.5 μm and the mean diameter of the venules at baseline was 127.3 ± 2.5 μm. The mean diameter of the arterioles 4 weeks before statin therapy was 107.3 ± 1.8 μm after 50 seconds, 107.9 ± 1.8 μm after 150 seconds and 108.0 ± 1.8 μm after 250 seconds (p = 0.01). The mean diameter of the venules 4 weeks before statin therapy was 128.0 ± 2.6 μm after 50 seconds, 128.2 ± 2.5 μm after 150 seconds and 128.2 ± 2.3 μm after 250 seconds (p = 0.01). The mean diameter of the arterioles 4 weeks after statin therapy at baseline was 107.1 ± 1.6 μm and the mean diameter of the venules at baseline was 127.7 ± 2.3 μm which was significantly different from measurements before statin therapy (p = 0.004). The diameter of the arterioles 4 weeks after statin therapy increased to 109.2 ± 2.1 μm after 50 seconds, to 110.6 ± 2.6 μm after 150 seconds and to 111.8 ± 2.3 μm after 250 seconds with statistical significance at all time points (p = 0.001). The mean diameter of the venules after statin therapy increased to 130.6 ± 2.7 μm after 50 seconds, to 132.1 ± 2.6 μm after 150 seconds and to 133.5 ± 3.0 μm after 250 seconds with statistical significance at all time points (p = 0.001).
Conclusions:
The present study demonstrated a significant increase in vasodilatation of retinal arterioles and venules 4 weeks after statin therapy in patients with hypercholesterolaemia indicating pleiotropic effects of statins on the retinal microcirculation which seem to be mediated by the endothelium-dependent, NO-mediated pathway.
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