Ankle-brachial index and ocular diseases in a Russian population

To assess potential associations between the ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABI) and ocular disorders.

In the population-based cross-sectional Russian Ural Eye and Medical Study including 5,899 (80.5%) out of 7328 eligible participants aged 40+ years, the participants underwent a series of ocular and medical examinations including measurement of ABI.

Blood pressure measurements of both arms and ankles were available for 3187 (54.0%) individuals. The mean ABI was 1.26 ± 0.19 (median:1.20; range: 0.61, 2.20). In multivariate analysis, a higher ABI was associated with younger age (P < 0.001; non-standardized regression coefficient B: -0.001; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.002, -0.001), female sex (P < 0.001; B: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.04), lower body mass index (P < 0.001; B: -0.004; 95% CI: -0.006, -0.003), lower waist-to-hip ratio (P = 0.01; B: -0.10; 95% CI: -0.17, -0.02), lower glucose serum concentration (P = 0.008; B: -0.005; 95% CI: -0.009, -0.001), lower prevalence of arterial hypertension (P < 0.001; B: -0.14; 95% CI: -0.16, -0.12), higher mean systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001; B: 0.003; 95% CI: 0.002, 0.003), and higher prevalence of any alcohol consumption (P < 0.001; B: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.04). In that multivariate model, prevalence of glaucoma (P = 0.67) as a whole, open-angle glaucoma (P = 0.86) and angle-closure glaucoma (P = 0.54), stage of glaucomatous optic neuropathy (P = 0.57), prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (P = 0.88), prevalence and stage of diabetic retinopathy (P = 0.30, and P = 0.29, respectively), nuclear cataract (P = 0.32, and P = 0.41, resp.), cortical cataract (P = 0.33, and P = 0.92, resp.), subcapsular cataract (P = 0.74 and P = 0.60, resp.), and pseudoexfoliation (P = 0.44 and P = 0.47, resp.), intraocular pressure (P = 0.52), axial length (P = 0.20), and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (P = 0.55) were not significantly associated with the ABI.

In this ethnically mixed population from Russia, none of the major ocular diseases was associated with ABI suggesting that subclinical atherosclerosis is not markedly associated with the aetiology of these ocular disorders.