title: Aortic stiffness is associated with the central retinal arteriolar equivalent and retinal vascular fractal dimension in a population along the southeastern coast of China.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and the retinal vascular fractal dimension, two quantitative parameters that reflect microcirculation, with aortic stiffness. In this cross-sectional study, we identified the cardiovascular risk factors in 2169 subjects using a health questionnaire, physical examinations and laboratory examinations. We evaluated the aortic stiffness using noninvasive brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and assessed the microcirculatory alterations with CRAE and retinal vascular fractal dimension, which were measured using fundus photography and semiautomatic quantitative software, respectively. The increase in baPWV (Q1-Q4) correlated with an increased likelihood of the central retinal artery narrowing and a reduction in the retinal vascular fractal dimension. Further adjustment of the cardiovascular risk factors diminished the association between baPWV and CRAE, but increased the association between baPWV and retinal vascular fractal dimension. Elevated baPWV correlates with reduced CRAE and retinal vascular fractal dimension. Such a finding supports macrocirculation- and microcirculation-associated hypotheses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Pengli
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qiaowei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhonghai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics, Provincial Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Clinical Laboratory Center, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Falin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017709:Fractals; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*