title: The relationship between aortic stiffness and changes in retinal microvessels among Asian ischemic stroke patients.
abstract: Large-artery stiffness is a risk factor for stroke, including cerebral small-vessel disease. Retinal microvascular changes are thought to mirror those in cerebral microvessels. We investigated the relationship between aortic stiffness and retinal microvascular changes in Asian ischemic stroke patients. We studied 145 acute ischemic stroke patients in Singapore who had aortic stiffness measurements using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cPWV). Retinal photographs were assessed for retinal microvessel caliber and qualitative signs of focal arteriolar narrowing, arteriovenous nicking and enhanced arteriolar light reflex. Aortic stiffening was associated with retinal arteriolar changes. Retinal arteriolar caliber decreased with increasing cPWV (r=-0.207, P=0.014). After adjusting for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, mean arterial pressure and small-vessel stroke subtype, patients within the highest cPWV quartile were more likely to have generalized retinal arteriolar narrowing defined as lowest caliber tertile (odds ratio (OR) 6.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45-32.30), focal arteriolar narrowing (OR 13.85, CI 1.82-105.67), arteriovenous nicking (OR 5.08, CI 1.12-23.00) and enhanced arteriolar light reflex (OR 3.83, CI 0.89-16.48), compared with those within the lowest quartile. In ischemic stroke patients, aortic stiffening is associated with retinal arteriolar luminal narrowing as well as features of retinal arteriolosclerosis.
authors: Singapore General Hospital Campus, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore. gnrdsd@sgh.com.sg
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: De Silva
authors: F-P
authors: FP
authors: Woon
authors: J J F
authors: JJ
authors: Manzano
authors: E Y
authors: EY
authors: Liu
authors: H-M
authors: HM
authors: Chang
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Chen
authors: J J
authors: JJ
authors: Wang
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Mitchell
authors: B A
authors: BA
authors: Kingwell
authors: J D
authors: JD
authors: Cameron
authors: R I
authors: RI
authors: Lindley
authors: T Y
authors: TY
authors: Wong
authors: M-C
authors: MC
authors: Wong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D055806:Microvessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*