title: Fundus autofluorescence in chronic essential hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate fundus autofluorescence (FAF) changes in patients with chronic essential hypertension (HTN).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this case-control study, 35 eyes of 35 patients with chronic essential HTN (lasting >5 years) and 31 eyes of 31 volunteers without history of HTN were included. FAF pictures were taken from right eyes of all cases with the Heidelberg retina angiography and then were assessed by two masked retinal specialists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, FAF images including 35 images of hypertensive patients and 31 pictures of volunteers, three apparently abnormal patterns were detected. A ring of hyper-autofluorescence in the central macula (doughnut-shaped) was observed in 9 (25.7%) eyes of the hypertensive group but only in 2 (6.5%) eyes of the control group. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.036) between two groups. Hypo- and/or hyper-autofluorescence patches outside the fovea were the other sign found more in the hypertensive group (22.9%) than in the control group (6.5%); however, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.089). The third feature was hypo-autofluorescence around the disk noticed in 11 (31.4%) eyes of hypertensive patients compared to 8 (25.8%) eyes of the controls (P = 0.615).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A ring of hyper-autofluorescence in the central macula forming a doughnut-shaped feature may be a FAF sign in patients with chronic essential HTN.
authors: Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Alireza
authors: A
authors: Ramezani
authors: Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Peyman
authors: P
authors: Saberian
authors: Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Masoud
authors: M
authors: Soheilian
authors: School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Department of Cardiology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Saeed Alipour
authors: SA
authors: Parsa
authors: School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Department of Cardiology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Homayoun Koohi
authors: HK
authors: Kamali
authors: Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Morteza
authors: M
authors: Entezari
authors: Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Mohammad-Mehdi
authors: MM
authors: Shahbazi
authors: Ophthalmic Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Mehdi
authors: M
authors: Yaseri
keywords: Autofluorescence; Chronic Essential Hypertension; Hyper-autofluorescence; Hypo-autofluorescence