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The eye — a window to cardiovascular diseases
Affiliations- Department of Hypertension and Diabetology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
- 1st Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland
- Department of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
- Clinical Research Centre, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
open access
Abstract
Microvascular alterations can parallel and even precede development of cardiovascular disease. Ocular bulb, due to transparent anatomical elements provides a unique opportunity to examine microcirculation non-invasively and in vivo by means of scanning laser Doppler flowmetry. This device enables to obtain both structural and functional parameters of retinal microvasculature. Alterations observed in retinal arterioles, i.e. lumen narrowing, increased wall-to-lumen ratio, rarefaction or reduced retinal capillary flow, have been independently associated with cardiometabolic diseases: hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Therefore, examination of easily accessible retinal microcirculation may provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying various diseases, serve as a marker of target organ damage and add valuable information to cardiovascular
risk stratification.
Abstract
Microvascular alterations can parallel and even precede development of cardiovascular disease. Ocular bulb, due to transparent anatomical elements provides a unique opportunity to examine microcirculation non-invasively and in vivo by means of scanning laser Doppler flowmetry. This device enables to obtain both structural and functional parameters of retinal microvasculature. Alterations observed in retinal arterioles, i.e. lumen narrowing, increased wall-to-lumen ratio, rarefaction or reduced retinal capillary flow, have been independently associated with cardiometabolic diseases: hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Therefore, examination of easily accessible retinal microcirculation may provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying various diseases, serve as a marker of target organ damage and add valuable information to cardiovascular
risk stratification.
Keywords
microcirculation; retinal arterioles; remodeling
About this articleTitle
The eye — a window to cardiovascular diseases
Journal
Issue
Pages
56-60
Published online
2020-05-29
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659
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691
DOI
Bibliographic record
Arterial Hypertension 2020;24(2):56-60.
Keywords
microcirculation
retinal arterioles
remodeling
Authors
Edyta E. Dąbrowska
Joanna M. Harazny
Jacek Wolf
Urszula Szulc
Krzysztof Narkiewicz
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