Distribution and associations of retinal vascular caliber with ethnicity, gender, and birth parameters in young children.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the distribution of retinal vascular calibers and their associations with ethnicity, gender, and birth parameters in children.


METHODS
This was a school-based cross-sectional study of 768 children aged 7 to 9 years who participated in the Singapore Cohort Study of the Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM). Participants had retinal photographs taken in 2001. Retinal vascular calibers were measured with computer-based program and summarized as average caliber of arterioles and venules in that eye. Associations of retinal vascular caliber with ethnicity, gender, and various birth factors were analyzed.


RESULTS
In this population, the mean retinal arteriolar caliber was 156.4 microm (95% confidence interval [CI], 155.4-157.3) and venular caliber was 225.4 microm (95% CI, 224.1-226.8). The retinal arteriolar caliber was significantly narrower in Chinese (154.9 microm), compared with Malay (158.6 microm) and Indian (158.5 microm) children. Retinal venular caliber was also narrower in Chinese (223.3 microm) compared with Malay (230.8 microm) and Indian (229.0 microm) children. These differences were statistically significant, even after adjustments for age, gender, family income, parental education, body mass index, height, birth weight, axial length, and spherical equivalent (P = 0.05 for arteriolar caliber; P = 0.002 for venular caliber). In multivariate analysis, there were no significant gender differences in retinal vascular caliber. Birth factors, including birth weight, birth length, head circumference, and gestational age, were not significantly associated with changes in either retinal arteriolar or venular caliber.


CONCLUSIONS
The results show ethnic variation in retinal vascular caliber in Singaporean children. No association of birth parameters with retinal vascular caliber was found. Because retinal vascular caliber is related to various cardiovascular and ocular diseases, it is possible that ethnic variations in retinal vascular caliber should be taken into consideration in future studies.
Cheung
Ning
N
Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Islam
F M Amirul
FM
Saw
Seang M
SM
Shankar
Anoop
A
de Haseth
Kristin
K
Mitchell
Paul
P
Wong
Tien Yin
TY
D001160:Arterioles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001824:Body Constitution; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010781:Photography; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012169:Retinal Vein / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012846:Singapore; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014699:Venules / Q000033:anatomy & histology