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Association between Light-Induced Dynamic Dilation of Retinal Vessels and Echocardiographic Parameters of the Left
Małgorzata Peregud-Pogorzelska1, Małgorzata Zielska1, Miłosz Piotr Kawa2
1Department of Cardiology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
Insights
Hypertension impacts retinal microvascular function, affecting arterial vasodilatation. Left ventricular function and remodeling in hypertensive patients correlate with these retinal changes, suggesting a link between cardiovascular health and eye vasculature.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Cardiology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Hypertension (HT) is a major cardiovascular risk factor.
- Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is a known complication of HT.
- Retinal microvascular changes can reflect systemic vascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) and echocardiographic parameters of LV systolic and diastolic function in patients with HT and preserved ejection fraction.
- To determine if retinal microvascular responses correlate with cardiac structure and function in hypertensive individuals.
Main Methods:
- Observational retrospective study involving 36 HT patients and 28 healthy controls.
- Dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) measuring retinal vessel diameter and flicker light response.
- Echocardiography to assess LV systolic function (ejection fraction) and diastolic function (including E/e' and left atrial remodeling).
Main Results:
- Hypertension was independently associated with reduced flicker-induced arterial vasodilatation.
- In HT patients, LV ejection fraction positively correlated with arterial vasodilation.
- LV end-diastolic diameter, left atrial size, and anteroposterior dimension negatively correlated with retinal flicker responses.
- The LV filling index E/e' negatively correlated with the arteriovenous ratio (AVR).
Conclusions:
- Retinal microvascular function, assessed by DVA, is significantly associated with LV systolic and diastolic function in hypertensive patients.
- These findings highlight the potential of DVA as a non-invasive tool to assess cardiovascular health in HT.
- Retinal vascular responses reflect underlying cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in hypertension.
Background And Objectives:
The goal was to evaluate the association of dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) with echocardiographic parameters assessing systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle in hypertension (HT) patients with preserved left ventricle ejection fraction.
Materials And Methods:
This observational retrospective study recruited 36 patients with HT and 28 healthy controls. Retinal vessel diameter and reactions to flicker light were examined. Each patient was examined with echocardiography to assess left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.
Results:
Multivariate analysis revealed that hypertension was an independent factor associated with lower flicker-induced arterial vasodilatation (β = -0.31, p = 0.029). In the HT group, there was a significant positive association between left ventricular ejection fraction and flicker-induced arterial vasodilation (Rs = +0.31, p = 0.007). Additionally, end-diastolic left ventricular diameter negatively correlated with both arterial (Rs = -0.26, p = 0.02) and venous (Rs = -0.27, p = 0.02) flicker responses. Additionally, the echocardiographic characteristics of the left atrium (LA) remodeling in the course of HT, including the area of the LA and its antero-posterior dimension, were both negatively correlated with the arterial flicker response (Rs = -0.34, p = 0.003; Rs = -0.33, p = 0.004, respectively). From tissue Doppler parameters, the left ventricular filling index E/e' negatively correlated with AVR (arteriovenous ratio) values (Rs = -0.36, p = 0.002).
Conclusions:
We revealed that systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle in hypertensive patients is associated with retinal microvascular function.
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