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Published on: November 6, 2017
Childhood Vascular Risk Factors and Retinal Vessel Caliber
Ning Cheung1, Seang M Saw, Gerald Liew
1From the *Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Victoria, Australia; †Singapore Eye Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore; ‡Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China; §Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and ¶Centre for Vision Research, the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Purpose:
Variations in retinal vessel caliber have been associated with risk of ocular and systemic vascular diseases in adults. In this study, we examined the relationships between childhood vascular risk factors and retinal vessel caliber in young healthy adolescents.
Design:
This was a cross-sectional study of 1225 adolescents recruited from 3 community-based schools in Singapore.
Methods:
Blood pressure and anthropometry measurements were obtained through standardized examinations. Birth weight was ascertained from health records completed by medical personnel soon after birth. Retinal vessel caliber was measured from retinal photographs using a semiautomated computer-based program following a validated standardized protocol.
Results:
After adjusting for age, sex, and other relevant factors, each SD increase in blood pressure levels (systolic or diastolic) was associated with narrower arteriolar caliber (1.61 μm; P < 0.001); each SD increase in body mass index was associated with narrower arteriolar caliber (1.49 μm; P < 0.001) and wider venular caliber (2.68 μm; P < 0.001), and each SD decrease in birth weight was associated with narrower arteriolar caliber (1.31 μm; P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Young adolescents with elevated blood pressure, obesity, or low birth weight have changes in retinal vessel caliber that are associated with ocular and systemic vascular diseases in adulthood. These findings provide evidence of possible adverse effects of childhood vascular risk factors on the retinal microvasculature early in life.
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