title: Retrobulbar blood flow and carotid intima-media thickness alteration may relate to subclinic atherosclerosis in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  AA amyloidosis occurs in the setting of longstanding inflammation. An increased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) was noted in patients with chronic inflammatory disease (CID). Retrobulbar blood flow predicts future macrovascular events including CAD. Increase in carotid artery intima-media thickness is regarded as a marker for early atherosclerosis. The relationship between chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis is well known; however, the connection between amyloidosis-advanced CIDs and retrobulbar microvascular function and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is unidentified. We aimed to investigate whether retrobulbar microcirculation and CIMT were impaired or not in amyloidosis-advanced CID patients compared to normal subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen patients with renal AA amyloidosis and a group of healthy volunteers were included in the study. Measurement of CIMT and retrobulbar blood flow velocities was performed with ultrasound scanner and color Doppler ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CIMT of patients with renal amyloidosis was significantly thicker than that of the normal population (p < 0.001). The resistivity index of the ophthalmic artery (OA) of patients with renal amyloidosis was significantly higher than the study group (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that accelerated atherosclerosis which can be shown by increased OA resistivity index and CIMT are found in amyloidal-related CID patients.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Nursen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Keles
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caliskan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Feyza Ulusoy
authors.initials: FU
authors.lastname: Aksu
authors.affiliation: b Department of Neurology , Oltu Government Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Necibe Nur
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Keles
authors.affiliation: c Department of Radiology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Vildan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Karagoz
authors.affiliation: a Department of Cardiology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Ahmet Selami
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Tekin
authors.affiliation: d Department of Cardiology , İstanbul Kartal Kosuyolu Yusek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akcakoyun
authors.affiliation: e Department of Internal Medicine , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kostek
authors.affiliation: f Department of Nephrology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Elcioglu
authors.affiliation: g Department of Cardiology , Istanbul Fatih University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Soe Moe
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Aung
authors.affiliation: f Department of Nephrology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakan
authors.affiliation: f Department of Nephrology , Istanbul Medeniyet University Goztepe Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Ali Riza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Odabas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: AA amyloidosis; atherosclerosis; retrobulbar microcirculation