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Vitamin D and retinal microvascular damage: The Rotterdam Study
Unal Mutlu1, M Arfan Ikram, Albert Hofman
1Department of Epidemiology Department of Ophthalmology Department of Radiology Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Retinal Signal Processing, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience Department of Ophthalmology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Lower vitamin D levels are linked to retinal microvascular damage, including retinopathy and wider venules. This suggests a potential pathway for vitamin D
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Endocrinology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
Background:
- Vitamin D is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, but its role in microvascular damage is unclear.
- Previous research focused on large-vessel disease, leaving a gap in understanding microvascular implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum vitamin D levels and retinal microvascular damage.
- To determine if vitamin D deficiency is linked to retinopathy and altered retinal vascular caliber.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 5675 community-dwelling adults (age ≥45) from the Rotterdam Study.
- Serum vitamin D levels measured via antibody assay; retinal photographs graded for retinopathy signs.
- Retinal vascular calibers (arterioles, venules) measured in a subsample (n=2973).
Main Results:
- Lower vitamin D levels correlated with increased odds of retinopathy (aOR per SD decrease = 1.30).
- Lower vitamin D levels associated with wider venular calibers (mean difference per SD decrease = 1.35).
- The association between vitamin D and wider venules was more pronounced in men.
Conclusions:
- Low serum vitamin D levels are associated with retinal microvascular damage.
- This finding suggests that microvascular changes may mediate the link between vitamin D and cardiovascular risk.
- Further research into vitamin D supplementation for cardiovascular health is warranted.
