title: Impact of blood pressure on retinal microvasculature architecture across the lifespan: the Young Finns Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study examined the impact of BP from childhood to mid-adulthood on retinal microvascular architecture.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study included children aged 3-18 years, from five Finnish University cities, with participants chosen randomly from the national population registrar from those areas. The age of participants included in the current analyses in childhood (1980) ranged from three to nine years and in mid-adulthood (2011) ranged from 34 to 40 years (complete data n = 657). Measures of retinal microvasculature architecture measured in adulthood included diameters, tortuosity, lengths, and LDR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analysis showed a strong negative association between childhood systolic BP and adult arteriolar diameter (standardized regression coefficient [β] -0.300; p < 0.001) and with change in systolic BP from childhood to adulthood (β = -0.249; p < 0.001). For arteriolar tortuosity, there was a strong positive association between childhood systolic BP and adult arteriolar tortuosity (β = 0.154; p < 0.001) and no association with change in systolic BP from childhood to adulthood (β = 0.072; p = 0.110).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High BP in childhood and increased BP from childhood to adulthood impacts on retinal microvascular architecture in mid-adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Robyn J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Tapp
authors.forename: S Monira
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Battista
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hutri-Kähönen
authors.forename: Terho
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehtimäki
authors.forename: Alun D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Simon A McG
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Thom
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Metha
authors.forename: Olli T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Raitakari
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kähönen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001160:Arterioles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: blood pressure; cardiovascular disease; epidemiology; life course; retinal microvasculature