Association Between Cardiovascular Health and Retinopathy in US Adults: From NHANES 2005-2008
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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Fundus Photography as a Convenient Tool to Study Microvascular Responses to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Epidemiological Studies
Published on: October 22, 2014
Xiangliang Liu1, Yu Chang1, Yuguang Li1
1From the The First Hospital of Jilin University (X.L., Y.C., Y.L., N.C., J.C.), Changchun, China.
Purpose:
Investigating the relationship between cardiovascular health (CVH) and retinopathy in the adult population of the United States.
Design:
The cross-sectional study.
Methods:
The study utilized samples, including the diabetes population, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005 and 2008 (N= 4249), to assess cardiovascular health (CVH) using the Life's Essential 8 (LE8) assessment. Retinopathy is determined through imaging assessment by professionals independently grading fundus photographs. Univariable and multivariable weighted logistic regression models, restricted cubic splines (RCS), subgroup analysis and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression approaches were employed to assess the association between LE8 score-based CVH status and retinopathy. The mediation analysis was conducted to investigate whether serum albumin levels mediated the relationship between LE8 score and retinopathy.
Results:
In a fully adjusted logistic regression model, participants in the moderate and high CVH groups had a 39% (odds ratio (OR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.87, P-value = 0.01) and 56% (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.25-0.77, P-value < 0.001) lower odds of developing retinopathy compared to the low CVH group. The RCS model indicates a significant non-linear relationship between CVH and retinopathy. The WQS regression analysis suggests that blood glucose (47.65%) and blood pressure (19.41%) have the highest weights in relation to retinopathy. Mediation analysis suggests that serum albumin partially mediates the relationship between LE8 scores and retinopathy.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates a significant negative correlation between overall cardiovascular health measured by LE8 scores and retinopathy. Public health strategies that promote achieving optimal cardiovascular health indicators may help reduce the burden of retinal microvascular diseases.
