title: Retinal blood flow velocity in metabolic syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. The Retinal Function Imager (RFI) is a new technique for measuring retinal blood-flow velocity. This study aims to compare retinal blood flow velocity between MetS and healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty eyes of 20 MetS males and 21 eyes of 21 aged-matched healthy males underwent RFI and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement as well as assessment of MetS parameters. The results in MetS and healthy subjects were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average venular velocity in the MetS patients was significantly higher than in the healthy subjects (2.7 ± 0.0 mm/sec versus 2.5 ± 0.0 mm/sec respectively, P=0.013), following adjustment for age, heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Carotid-femoral PWV was higher in the MetS population than the healthy controls (10.3 ± 1.2 mm/sec versus 9.3 ± 1.5 mm/sec respectively, P=0.005). The diastolic blood pressure and MAP were correlated strongly with the arterial blood flow velocities in healthy subjects (r=0.503, P=0.020 and r=0.474, P=0.030 respectively) but not in MetS subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RFI was able to distinguish between the retinal blood flow of normal and MetS subjects. Higher venular blood flow velocity and the poor correlation between velocity and blood pressure of MetS subjects suggest that MetS causes microvascular damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Be'er Ya'akov, 70300, Israel.
authors.forename: Shay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gutfreund
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Izkhakov
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pokroy
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaron
authors.forename: Hanny
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yeshua
authors.forename: Zvia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Burgansky-Eliash
authors.forename: Adiel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Ardon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
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