title: Effect of blood pressure on the retinal vasculature in a multi-ethnic Asian population.
abstract: Blood pressure has a significant effect on retinal arterioles. There are few data on whether this effect varies by race/ethnicity. We examined the relationship of blood pressure and retinal vascular caliber in a multi-ethnic Asian population. The study is population-based and cross sectional in design. A total of 3749 Chinese, Malay and Indian participants aged > or =24 years residing in Singapore were included in the study. Retinal vascular caliber was measured using a computer program from digital retinal photographs. The associations of retinal vascular caliber with blood pressure and hypertension in each racial/ethnic group were analyzed. The main outcome measures are retinal arteriolar caliber and venular caliber. The results show that retinal arterioles were narrower in persons with uncontrolled/untreated hypertension (140.0 microm) as compared with persons with controlled hypertension (142.1 microm, P=0.0001) and those with no hypertension (146.0 microm, P<0.0001). On controlling for age, gender, body mass index, lipids and smoking, each 10 mm Hg increase in mean arterial blood pressure was associated with a 3.1 microm decrease in arteriolar caliber (P<0.0001), with a similar magnitude seen in all three racial/ethnic groups: 3.1 microm in Chinese, 2.8 microm in Malays and 3.2 microm in Indians (P<0.0001 for all). Each 10 mm Hg increase in mean arterial blood pressure was associated with a 1.8 microm increase in venular caliber (P<0.0001); furthermore, the magnitude of this effect was similar across the three racial/ethnic groups. The effect of blood pressure on the retinal vasculature was similar across three major racial/ethnic groups in Asia.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. twong@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: V Swetha E
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Jeganathan
authors.forename: Charumathi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sabanayagam
authors.forename: E Shyong
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Sangeetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagarajan
authors.forename: Maisie Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Huey-Shi
authors.forename: Mya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandar
authors.forename: Tien Yin
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008296:Malaysia / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D012846:Singapore