Mild retinopathy is a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in Japanese with and without hypertension: the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study

All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Associated with Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter in Japan: The Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study

AIMS

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is causally associated with mortality and cardiovascular disease. However, in terms of cardiovascular cause-specific outcomes, there are fewer studies about stroke than about coronary heart disease, particularly in Asia. Furthermore, there remains uncertainty regarding the PM2.5-respiratory disease association. We examined whether long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality in Japan.

METHODS

We used data of 46,974 participants (19,707 men; 27,267 women), who were enrolled in 2009 and followed up until 2019, in a community-based prospective cohort study (the second cohort of the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study). We estimated PM2.5 concentrations using the inverse distance weighing methods based on ambient air monitoring data, and assigned each participant to administrative area level concentrations. A Cox proportional hazard model was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality.

RESULTS

During the average follow-up of 10 years, we confirmed 2,789 all-cause deaths. All outcomes including stroke mortality did not significantly increase as the PM2.5 concentration increased. For non-malignant respiratory disease mortality, the multivariable adjusted HR per 1 µg/m3 increase in the PM2.5 concentration was 1.09 (95% CI = 0.97-1.23).

CONCLUSIONS

In this population exposed to PM2.5 at concentrations of 8.3-13.1 µg/m3, there was no evidence that long-term exposure to PM2.5 had adverse effects on mortality. Weak evidence of positive association observed for non-malignant respiratory disease mortality needs further studies in other populations.

Association of retinal microvascular abnormalities with all-cause and specific-cause mortality among U.S. adults

BACKGROUND

Retinal microvascular abnormalities (RMA) reflect cumulative microvascular damage from systemic diseases and aging. However, little is known about the association between RMA and long-term survival outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationships between RMA and the risk of all-cause and specific-cause mortality among U.S. adults.

METHODS

Individuals aged ≥ 40 years were included from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2008. RMA and its subtypes, including retinopathy, arteriovenous nicking (AVN), focal arteriolar narrowing (FAN) and Hollenhorst plaque (HP), were manually graded from retinal photographs. Associations between RMA and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality were examined with Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

This cohort study of 5775 adults included 2881 women (weighted proportion, 52.6%) and 2894 men (weighted, 47.4%), with a weighted mean (SE) age of 56.6 (0.4) years. RMA were present in 1251 participants (weighted, 17.9%), of whom 710 (weighted, 9.8%) had retinopathy, 635 (weighted, 9.3%) had AVN, 64 (weighted, 1.0%) had FAN, and 21 (weighted, 0.3%) had HP. During a median of 12.2 years (range, 0.1-15.0 years) of follow-up, 1488 deaths occurred, including 452 associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), 341 associated with cancer, and 695 associated with other causes. After adjusting confounding factors, the presence of any RMA and retinopathy at baseline was associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.26; 95%CI, 1.07-1.47; HR, 1.36; 95%CI, 1.09-1.71, respectively), CVD mortality (HR, 1.36; 95%CI, 1.06-1.73; HR, 1.53; 95%CI, 1.04-2.26, respectively) and other-cause mortality (HR, 1.33; 95%CI, 1.06-1.67; HR, 1.55; 95%CI, 1.20-2.01, respectively). Additionally, FAN was significantly associated with an increased risk of other-cause mortality (HR, 2.06; 95%CI, 1.16-3.65). Although AVN was not associated with mortality in the whole population, it was significantly related to higher risks of all-cause and CVD death in those with obesity (HR, 1.68; 95%CI, 1.12-2.52; HR, 1.96; 95%CI, 1.23-3.13, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that the presence of RMA is independently associated with greater risks of all-cause, CVD and other-cause mortality in adults aged 40 years or older.

Hypertensive retinopathy can predict stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on observational studies

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine whether hypertensive retinopathy is specifically associated with stroke.

METHODS

The relevant studies published until December 18, 2023 were identified as well as selected from PubMed, Embase, Web of science, WanFang, CNKI, VIP, and CBM databases. Hazard ratios (HRs), risk ratios (RRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined.

RESULTS

Six cohort studies were included in this analysis. Patients with hypertensive retinopathy exhibited a significantly higher overall risk of stroke than those without hypertensive retinopathy (RR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.29-1.65). When subgroups were analyzed by region, patients with hypertensive retinopathy in Asia had the highest risk of stroke (RR=1.53, 95%CI: 1.33-1.77). In addition, among the different severity grades of hypertensive retinopathy, the risk of stroke in patients with grade 3/4 hypertensive retinopathy (RR=1.82, 95%CI: 1.41-2.34) was observed to be higher than that in patients with grade 1/2 hypertensive retinopathy (RR=1.43, 95%CI: 1.27-1.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Hypertensive retinopathy was found to be associated with an increased risk of stroke. Thus, it is necessary to include retinopathy in the routine screening of patients with hypertension.

Associations between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and hypertensive retinopathy in treated hypertensive adults: Results from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial (CSPPT)

Although the association between persistent hypertension and the compromise of both micro- and macro-circulatory functions is well recognized, a significant gap in quantitative investigations exploring the interplay between microvascular and macrovascular injuries still exists. In this study, the authors looked into the relationship between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and hypertensive retinopathy in treated hypertensive adults. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of treated hypertensive patients with the last follow-up data from the China Stoke Primary Prevention Trial (CSPPT) in 2013. With the use of PWV/ABI instruments, baPWV was automatically measured. The Keith-Wagener-Barker classification was used to determine the diagnosis of hypertensive retinopathy. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the connection between baPWV and hypertensive retinopathy were determined using multivariable logistic regression models. The OR curves were created using a multivariable-adjusted restricted cubic spline model to investigate any potential non-linear dose-response relationships between baPWV and hypertensive retinopathy. A total of 8514 (75.5%) of 11,279 participants were diagnosed with hypertensive retinopathy. The prevalence of hypertensive retinopathy increased from the bottom quartile of baPWV to the top quartile: quartile 1: 70.7%, quartile 2: 76.1%, quartile 3: 76.7%, quartile 4: 78.4%. After adjusting for potential confounders, baPWV was positively associated with hypertensive retinopathy (OR = 1.05, 95% CI, 1.03-1.07, p < .001). Compared to those in the lowest baPWV quartile, those in the highest baPWV quartile had an odds ratio for hypertensive retinopathy of 1.61 (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.37-1.89, p < .001). Two-piece-wise logistic regression model demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between baPWV and hypertensive retinopathy with an inflection point of 17.1 m/s above which the effect was saturated .

Non-Invasive Retinal Vessel Analysis as a Predictor for Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most frequent cause of death worldwide. The alterations in the microcirculation may predict the cardiovascular mortality. The retinal vasculature can be used as a model to study vascular alterations associated with cardiovascular disease. In order to quantify microvascular changes in a non-invasive way, fundus images can be taken and analysed. The central retinal arteriolar (CRAE), the venular (CRVE) diameter and the arteriolar-to-venular diameter ratio (AVR) can be used as biomarkers to predict the cardiovascular mortality. A narrower CRAE, wider CRVE and a lower AVR have been associated with increased cardiovascular events. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DRVA) allows the quantification of retinal changes using digital image sequences in response to visual stimulation with flicker light. This article is not just a review of the current literature, it also aims to discuss the methodological benefits and to identify research gaps. It highlights the potential use of microvascular biomarkers for screening and treatment monitoring of cardiovascular disease. Artificial intelligence (AI), such as Quantitative Analysis of Retinal vessel Topology and size (QUARTZ), and SIVA-deep learning system (SIVA-DLS), seems efficient in extracting information from fundus photographs and has the advantage of increasing diagnosis accuracy and improving patient care by complementing the role of physicians. Retinal vascular imaging using AI may help identify the cardiovascular risk, and is an important tool in primary cardiovascular disease prevention. Further research should explore the potential clinical application of retinal microvascular biomarkers, in order to assess systemic vascular health status, and to predict cardiovascular events.

Automatic identification of hypertension and assessment of its secondary effects using artificial intelligence: A systematic review (2013-2023)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques are increasingly used in computer-aided diagnostic tools in medicine. These techniques can also help to identify Hypertension (HTN) in its early stage, as it is a global health issue. Automated HTN detection uses socio-demographic, clinical data, and physiological signals. Additionally, signs of secondary HTN can also be identified using various imaging modalities. This systematic review examines related work on automated HTN detection. We identify datasets, techniques, and classifiers used to develop AI models from clinical data, physiological signals, and fused data (a combination of both). Image-based models for assessing secondary HTN are also reviewed. The majority of the studies have primarily utilized single-modality approaches, such as biological signals (e.g., electrocardiography, photoplethysmography), and medical imaging (e.g., magnetic resonance angiography, ultrasound). Surprisingly, only a small portion of the studies (22 out of 122) utilized a multi-modal fusion approach combining data from different sources. Even fewer investigated integrating clinical data, physiological signals, and medical imaging to understand the intricate relationships between these factors. Future research directions are discussed that could build better healthcare systems for early HTN detection through more integrated modeling of multi-modal data sources.

Early vascular damage in retinal microcirculation in arterial hypertension: the Czech post-MONICA study

Retinal microcirculation reflects retinal perfusion abnormalities and retinal arterial structural changes at relatively early stages of various cardiovascular diseases. Wall-to-lumen ratio (WLR) may represent the earliest step in hypertension-mediated organ damage.Our objective was to compare functional and structural parameters of retinal microcirculation in a randomly selected urban population sample, in hypertensive and normotensive individuals.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A total of 398 randomly selected individuals from an urban population aged 25-65 years, residing in Pilsen, Czech Republic, were screened for major cardiovascular risk factors. Retinal microcirculation was assessed using scanning laser Doppler flowmetry, with data evaluable in 343 patients. Complete data were available for 342 individuals divided into four groups based on blood pressure and control status of hypertension: normotensive individuals ( n  = 213), treated controlled hypertensive individuals ( n  = 30), treated uncontrolled hypertensive individuals ( n  = 26), and newly detected/untreated hypertensive individuals ( n  = 73).

RESULTS

There was a tendency to higher wall thickness in treated but uncontrolled hypertensive patients (compared to normotensive and treated controlled hypertensive individuals). WLR was significantly increased in treated but uncontrolled hypertensive patients as well as in individuals with newly detected thus untreated hypertension or in patients with known but untreated hypertension. There was no difference in WLR in treated, controlled hypertensive patients compared with normotensive individuals.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that an increased WLR, reflecting early vascular damage, was found in newly detected individuals with hypertension and in untreated hypertensive patients, reflecting early hypertension-mediated vascular damage. Early initiation of hypertension treatment may be warranted.

Effect of blood pressure variability on hypertensive retinopathy

PURPOSE

This study intends to investigate the correlation between blood pressure variability (BPV) levels and the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to measure retinal microvasculature in hypertensive patients.

METHODS

All individuals in the study had 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and bilateral OCT and OCTA exams, and only data from the right eye were analyzed statistically.

RESULTS

The study included 170 individuals, with 60 in the control group. The experimental group was separated into two groups based on the average real variability (ARV) median, with 55 in the low ARV group and 55 in the high ARV group. The mean thicknesses of the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL), internal limiting membrane-retinal pigment epithelial cell layer (ILM-RPE), vessel density (VD), and perfusion density (PD) in the high-ARV group were substantially lower in the low-ARV and control groups (p＜0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that disease duration, age, and 24 h diastolic standard deviation all affected RNFL mean thickness (p＜0.05). VD and PD were influenced by disease duration, systolic-ARV, daytime systolic blood pressure, intraocular pressure(IOP), and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (p＜0.05). And the change in VD was connected to best-corrected visual acuity.

CONCLUSION

Hypertensive retinopathy is related to BPV. In clinical practice, we can assess the degree of BPV and retinopathy in hypertensive patients to track the progression of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD). Correction of BPV may help treat or postpone the progression of HOMD.

A mini-review of the evidence for cerebrovascular changes following gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy and a call for increased focus on cerebrovascular transgender health

Gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy (gaHRT) is an important step for many in the gender diverse community, associated with increased quality-of-life and lower self-reported scores of depression and anxiety. However, considering the interactions that the involved sex hormones have on vasculature (with oestrogen and testosterone demonstrating vasodilatory and vasoconstricting properties, respectively), it is important for transgender healthcare research to examine how the manipulation of these hormones interact with cerebrovascular structure and functioning. There is a stark lack of research in this area. This mini-review outlines the research suggesting a vascular impact of these sex hormones using evidence from a range of cohorts (e.g., menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome) and discusses the work that has been done into cerebrovascular changes following gaHRT. Finally, recommendations for future research into cerebrovascular health in transgender cohorts following gaHRT are outlined.

Sex-specific association between carotid atherosclerosis and fundus arteriosclerosis in a Chinese population: a retrospective cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Vascular stiffening is highly predictive of major adverse cardiovascular events. It is not clear whether microangiopathy, such as fundus arteriosclerosis, is related to carotid atherosclerosis. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and fundus arteriosclerosis among individuals of different sexes in the Chinese health-examination population.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study involved 20,836 participants, including 13050 males and 7786 females. All participants underwent a detailed health examination, including medical history assessment, physical examination, assessment of lifestyle factors, fundus photography, Doppler ultrasound examination of the neck, and laboratory examinations. Two trained ophthalmologists analysed fundus arteriosclerosis based on fundus photographs, while carotid atherosclerosis was diagnosed using colour Doppler sonography of the neck. Binary logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and fundus arteriosclerosis.

RESULTS

In participants with fundus arteriosclerosis, the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis was higher than that of participants without fundus arteriosclerosis (52.94% vs. 47.06%). After adjustments for potential confounding factors, fundus arteriosclerosis was significantly associated with the risk of carotid atherosclerosis. The OR with 95% CI for fundus arteriosclerosis was 1.17 (1.02, 1.34) with p = 0.0262, and individuals who did not have fundus arteriosclerosis were used as a reference in the total population. Fundus arteriosclerosis was associated with the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis in males (p = 0.0005) but not in females (p = 0.0746).

CONCLUSIONS

Fundus arteriosclerosis was closely associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the Chinese population. This association was found in males but not in females.

Association of retinopathy with risk of all-cause and specific-cause mortality in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005 to 2008

Objective

This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between retinopathy status or severity and the all-cause and specific-cause mortality risk based on the updated National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database and 2019 Public Access Link mortality file.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, a total of 6,797 participants aged over 40 years based on NHANES 2005-2008 were analyzed. The severity of retinopathy was classified into 4 grades-no retinopathy, mild non-proliferative retinopathy (NPR), moderate to severe NPR, and proliferative retinopathy (PR). Multiple covariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models and Fine and Gray competing risk regression models were used to assess the all-cause and cause-specific mortality risks, respectively. The propensity score matching (PSM) approach was also applied additionally to adequately balance between-group covariates to validate our findings.

Results

A final total of 4,808 participants representing 18,282,772 United States (US) non-hospitalized participants were included for analysis, 50.27% were male (n = 2,417), 55.32% were non-hispanic white (n = 2,660), and mean [SE] age, 56.10 [0.40] years. After a median follow-up of 12.24 years (interquartile range, 11.16-13.49 years), 1,164 participants died of all-cause mortality, of which 941 (80.84%) died without retinopathy and 223 (19.16%) died with retinopathy at baseline. The presence of retinopathy was associated with increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes mellitus (DM)-specific mortality, and the results remain consistent after PSM. Severity analysis showed that only mild NPR was associated with an increased all-cause mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00-4.03), while increased CVD and DM-specific mortality risk were associated with all grades of retinopathy and were exponentially greater with increasing retinopathy severity, and the trend test was also significant (P for trend 0.004 and 0.04, respectively).

Discussion

Our findings suggest that the diagnosis of retinopathy is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in people over 40 years old. Retinopathy grading is significantly associated with the survival risk of patients with CVD or DM, it can be a valuable predictor in the stratified management and risk warning of CVD or DM patients, as well as in the monitoring of systemic vasculopathy status.

Association between total bilirubin and gender-specific incidence of fundus arteriosclerosis in a Chinese population: a retrospective cohort study

To investigate the gender-specific relationship between total bilirubin (TBIL) and fundus arteriosclerosis in the general population, and to explore whether there is a dose-response relationship between them. In a retrospective cohort study, 27,477 participants were enrolled from 2006 to 2019. The TBIL was divided into four groups according to the quartile. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the HRs with 95% CIs of different TBIL level and fundus arteriosclerosis in men and women. The dose-response relationship between TBIL and fundus arteriosclerosis was estimated using restricted cubic splines method. In males, after adjusting for potential confounders, the Q2 to Q4 level of TBIL were significantly associated with the risk of fundus arteriosclerosis. The HRs with 95% CIs were 1.217 (1.095-1.354), 1.255 (1.128-1.396) and 1.396 (1.254-1.555), respectively. For females, TBIL level was not associated with the incidence of fundus arteriosclerosis. In addition, a linear relationship between TBIL and fundus arteriosclerosis in both genders (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0047, respectively). In conclusion, the incidence of fundus arteriosclerosis is positively correlated with serum TBIL level in males, but not in females. In addition, there was a linear dose-response relationship between TBIL and incidence of fundus arteriosclerosis.

Hypertensive retinopathy and cardiovascular disease risk: 6 population-based cohorts meta-analysis

Background

The cardiovascular risk associated with different levels of hypertensive retinopathy, including mild, remains unclear. We performed an individual participant meta-analysis from 6 population-based cohort studies to determine the relationship of hypertensive retinopathy with incident cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods

We identified cohort studies that objectively assessed hypertensive retinopathy from photographs, documented incident cardiovascular outcomes, and were population-based. Six studies contributed data from 11,013 individuals at baseline with 5-13 years follow-up. Participants were recruited if they had hypertension and did not have confounding conditions such as diabetic retinopathy. Main outcome measures were incident coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and a composite endpoint of cardiovascular disease (CHD or stroke). Pooled estimates of incident risk ratios (IRR) were obtained after adjusting for age, gender, systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein and smoking.

Results

Among eligible participants with hypertension and without diabetes, there were 1018/9662 (10.5%) incident CHD events, 708/11,013 (6.4%) incident stroke events and 1317/9378 (14.0%) incident CVD events. Mild hypertensive retinopathy was associated with increased risk of CVD (IRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.27) and CHD (IRR 1.17, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.34) but not stroke; moderate hypertensive retinopathy was associated with increased risk of CVD (IRR 1.25 95% CI 1.02 to 1.53) but not stroke or CHD individually.

Conclusions

In persons with hypertension, both mild and moderate hypertensive retinopathy were associated with higher CVD risk.

Sex-specific association of serum uric acid trajectories with risk of incident retinal arteriosclerosis in Chinese population: A population-based longitudinal study

Background

The impact of serum uric acid (SUA) trajectories on the development of retinal arteriosclerosis is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to identify adult SUA trajectories by sex and determine their association with risk of retinal arteriosclerosis.

Methods

In this longitudinal study, 4,324 participants who were aged between 18 and 60 years without retinal arteriosclerosis at or before baseline (from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2010) were included. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify SUA trajectories during the exposure period (from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2010). Cox proportional-hazards models were applied to evaluate the associations between SUA trajectories and the risk of incident retinal arteriosclerosis during the outcome period (from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2019).

Results

4 distinct SUA trajectories were identified in both women and men: low, moderate, moderate-high, and high. During a median follow-up of 9.54 years (IQR 9.53-9.56), 97 women and 295 men had developed retinal arteriosclerosis. In the fully adjusted model, a significant association between the moderate-high SUA trajectory group and incidence of retinal arteriosclerosis was observed only in men (HR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.17-2.65) compared with the low trajectory group, but not in women (HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.39-1.52). Also, the high SUA trajectory group had the highest risk with an adjusted HR of 1.81 (95% CI, 1.04-3.17) in men. However, they did not exhibit a substantially increased risk in women.

Conclusion

Higher SUA trajectory groups were significantly associated with an increased risk of incident retinal arteriosclerosis in men but not in women.

Retinal microvascular abnormalities and risks of incident stroke and its subtypes: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the association between retinal microvascular abnormalities and the risk of incident stroke and its subtypes in the general Japanese population.

METHODS

A total of 12 965 residents aged 40-74 years without a history of stroke and/or coronary heart disease underwent retinal photography during the annual health checkups of four Japanese communities between 1990 and 1999. Retinal microvascular abnormalities, such as the presence or absence of generalized arteriolar narrowing, focal arteriolar narrowing, arteriovenous nicking, enhanced arteriolar light reflex, and retinal hemorrhages were graded using standard protocols.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 20 years, 817 patients were diagnosed with incident stroke. Retinal microvascular abnormalities were positively associated with the risk of total stroke; after adjustment for age, sex, community, SBP, antihypertensive medication use, and other cardiovascular risk factors, the multivariable hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 1.68 (1.42-1.98), 1.67 (1.34-2.07), 1.41 (1.17-1.72), 1.54 (1.26-1.87), and 1.57 (1.19-2.07) for generalized arteriolar narrowing, focal arteriolar narrowing, arteriovenous nicking, enhanced arteriolar light reflex, and retinal hemorrhages, respectively. Similar positive associations were observed for the risk of stroke subtypes, except for subarachnoid hemorrhage, for which no association was observed. Furthermore, the positive associations were similar in participants with and without hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Retinal microvascular abnormalities were positively associated with the risk of incident stroke in the general Japanese population. Routine retinal photography could provide positive clinical insights into stroke risk stratification independent of blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, and other risk factors.

Hypertensive eye disease

Hypertensive eye disease includes a spectrum of pathological changes, the most well known being hypertensive retinopathy. Other commonly involved parts of the eye in hypertension include the choroid and optic nerve, sometimes referred to as hypertensive choroidopathy and hypertensive optic neuropathy. Together, hypertensive eye disease develops in response to acute and/or chronic elevation of blood pressure. Major advances in research over the past three decades have greatly enhanced our understanding of the epidemiology, systemic associations and clinical implications of hypertensive eye disease, particularly hypertensive retinopathy. Traditionally diagnosed via a clinical funduscopic examination, but increasingly documented on digital retinal fundus photographs, hypertensive retinopathy has long been considered a marker of systemic target organ damage (for example, kidney disease) elsewhere in the body. Epidemiological studies indicate that hypertensive retinopathy signs are commonly seen in the general adult population, are associated with subclinical measures of vascular disease and predict risk of incident clinical cardiovascular events. New technologies, including development of non-invasive optical coherence tomography angiography, artificial intelligence and mobile ocular imaging instruments, have allowed further assessment and understanding of the ocular manifestations of hypertension and increase the potential that ocular imaging could be used for hypertension management and cardiovascular risk stratification.

Relationship of Quantitative Retinal Capillary Network and Myocardial Remodeling in Systemic Hypertension

Background

This study examined the associations between quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) parameters and myocardial abnormalities as documented on cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in patients with systemic hypertension.

Methods and Results

We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 118 adults with hypertension (197 eyes). Patients underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and OCTA (PLEX Elite 9000, Carl Zeiss Meditec). Associations between OCTA parameters (superficial and deep retinal capillary density) and adverse cardiac remodeling (left ventricular mass, remodeling index, interstitial fibrosis, global longitudinal strain, and presence of left ventricular hypertrophy) were studied using multivariable linear regression analysis with generalized estimating equations. Of the 118 patients with hypertension enrolled (65% men; median [interquartile range] age, 59 [13] years), 29% had left ventricular hypertrophy. After adjusting for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, and signal strength of OCTA scans, patients with lower superficial capillary density had significantly higher left ventricular mass (β=−0.150; 95% CI, −0.290 to −0.010), higher interstitial volume (β=−0.270; 95% CI, −0.535 to −0.0015), and worse global longitudinal strain (β=−0.109; 95% CI, −0.187 to −0.032). Lower superficial capillary density was found in patients with hypertension with replacement fibrosis versus no replacement fibrosis (16.53±0.64 mm ‐1 versus 16.96±0.64 mm ‐1 ; P =0.003).

Conclusions

We showed significant correlations between retinal capillary density and adverse cardiac remodeling markers in patients with hypertension, supporting the notion that the OCTA could provide a non‐invasive index of microcirculation alteration for vascular risk stratification in people with hypertension.

Mild Hypertensive Retinopathy and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: The Suita Study

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the association of mild hypertensive retinopathy with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

METHODS

A total of 7,027 residents aged 30-79 years without a history of CVD participated in the annual health checkups and retinal photography assessments. Retinal microvascular abnormalities were graded using the standard protocols and classified according to the Keith-Wagener-Barker classification. Mild hypertensive retinopathy was defined as grades 1 and 2. Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for total CVD and its subtypes according to the presence and absence of mild hypertensive retinopathy.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 17 years, 351 incident stroke and 247 coronary heart disease (CHD) cases were diagnosed. After adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, mild hypertensive retinopathy was positively associated with risk of CVD (multivariable HR=1.24; 95% CI, 1.04-1.49) and stroke (1.28; 1.01-1.62) but not with risk of CHD (1.19; 0.89-1.58). Generalized arteriolar narrowing and enhanced arteriolar wall reflex were positively associated with CVD risk, the multivariable HR (95% CI) was 1.24 (1.00- 1.54)and 1.33 (1.02-1.74), respectively. Moreover, mild hypertensive retinopathy was positively associated with stroke risk in normotensive participants.

CONCLUSION

Mild hypertensive retinopathy was positively associated with CVD and stroke risk in the urban Japanese population. Especially, generalized arteriolar narrowing and enhanced arteriolar wall reflex were positively associated with CVD risk. These findings suggested that retinal photography could be helpful for cardiovascular risk stratification in the primary cardiovascular prevention.

Incorporation of Retinal Arteriolosclerosis into Risk Stratification of Blood Pressure Category According to the 2017 ACC/AHA Blood Pressure Guideline

Aim: We investigated whether retinal arteriolosclerosis (RA) could be used for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk stratification of individuals categorized according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) Blood Pressure (BP) guideline.

Methods: We studied 291,522 participants without a history of CVD and not taking any BP-lowering medications from the JMDC Claims Database. RA was defined as Keith–Wagener–Barker system grade ≥ 1. Each participant was classified into one of the six groups: (1) normal or elevated BP without RA, (2) normal or elevated BP with RA, (3) stage 1 hypertension without RA, (4) stage 1 hypertension with RA, (5) stage 2 hypertension without RA, and (6) stage 2 hypertension with RA.

Results: Median (interquartile range) age was 46 (40–53) years, and 141,397 (48.5%) of the participants were men. During a mean follow-up of 1,223±830 days, 527 myocardial infarction (MI), 5,718 angina pectoris, 2,890 stroke, and 5,375 heart failure (HF) events occurred. Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed that the risk of CVD increased with BP category, and this association was pronounced by the presence of RA. Compared with normal or elevated BP without RA, the hazard ratios (HRs) for MI (HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.93–1.47) were higher in stage 1 hypertension without RA. The HRs for MI further increased in stage 1 hypertension with RA (1.86 [1.17–2.95]). This association was present in stroke and HF.

Conclusion: Incorporation of the assessment for RA may facilitate the CVD risk stratification of people classified based on the 2017 ACC/AHA BP guideline, particularly for those categorized in stage 1 hypertension.

Hypertensive Retinopathy and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults of Amerindian Ancestry. A Population-based Longitudinal Prospective Study

Introduction

Hypertensive retinopathy (HTRP) predicts all-cause mortality in Asian and Caucasian populations. However, little is known about HTRP impact in other ethnic groups.

Aim

We sought to estimate the mortality risk according to HTRP severity in older adults of Amerindian ancestry living in rural Ecuador.

Methods

This prospective study enrolled individuals aged ≥ 60 years with baseline blood pressure ≥ 120/≥ 80 mmHg from the ongoing Atahualpa Project cohort who received retinal photographs (for HTRP grading) and a brain MRI. We ascertained all-cause mortality after a mean of 5.2 ± 1.2 years of follow-up. Cox-proportional hazards models adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, neuroimaging signatures of cerebral small vessel disease, blood pressure determinations during follow-up and incident strokes, were obtained to estimate mortality risk according to HTRP severity.

Results

Analysis included 236 participants (mean age 69.3 ± 7.3 years). HTRP Grade 2 or higher was determined in 42 (18%) individuals. Fifty participants (21%) died during the follow-up, resulting in an overall unadjusted crude mortality rate of 4.1 per 100 person-years. Mortality rate in subjects with HTRP Grade 2 or higher was 7.2 and in those with no HTRP or Grade 1 only was 3.4 per 100 person-years. An adjusted Cox-proportional hazard model showed that individuals with HTRP Grade 2 or higher maintained a greater than two-fold mortality risk (HR 2.08; 95% C.I. 1.04–4.15; p = 0.038) when compared to those with no HTRP or Grade 1 only.

Conclusion

Study results show that HTRP severity predicts mortality in this population of older adults.

Association Between Blood Pressure Classification Using the 2017 ACC/AHA Blood Pressure Guideline and Retinal Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

We aimed to explore the association between the blood pressure (BP) classification defined by the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline and the prevalence of retinal atherosclerosis.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective observational cross-sectional analysis using the JMDC Claims Database. We analyzed 280,599 subjects not taking any antihypertensive medications. According to the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline, each subject was categorized as having normal BP (n = 159,524), elevated BP (n = 35,603), stage 1 hypertension (n = 54,795), or stage 2 hypertension (n = 30,677) using the BP value at the initial health checkup. Retinal photographs were assessed according to the Keith-Wagener-Barker system.

RESULTS

The median age was 46 years, and 50.4% subjects were men. Retinal atherosclerosis, defined as Keith-Wagener-Barker system grade ≥1, was observed in 3.2% in normal BP, 5.2% in elevated BP, 7.7% in stage 1 hypertension, and 18.7% in stage 2 hypertension. Compared with normal BP, elevated BP (odds ratio [OR], 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.38), stage 1 hypertension (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.64-1.79), and stage 2 hypertension (OR, 4.10; 95% CI, 3.93-4.28) were associated with a higher prevalence of retinal atherosclerosis. Among 92,121 subjects without obesity, high waist circumference, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption, elevated BP (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.19-1.51), stage 1 hypertension (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.61-1.98), and stage 2 hypertension (OR, 4.42; 95% CI, 4.00-4.92) were associated with a higher prevalence of retinal atherosclerosis. This association was observed in all subgroups stratified by age or sex.

CONCLUSIONS

Our investigation suggests that retinal atherosclerosis could start even in individuals with elevated BP and stage 1 hypertension.

Right bundle branch block and risk of cardiovascular mortality: the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study

Historically, a right bundle branch block has been considered a benign finding in asymptomatic individuals. However, this conclusion is based on a few old studies with small sample sizes. We examined the association between a complete right bundle branch block (CRBBB) and subsequent cardiovascular mortality in the general population in Japan. In this large community-based cohort study, data of 90,022 individuals (mean age, 58.5 ± 10.2 years; 66.2% women) who participated in annual community-based health check-ups were assessed. Subjects were followed up from 1993 to the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards' models and log-rank tests were used for the data analysis. CRBBB was documented in 1,344 participants (1.5%). Among all included participants, CRBBB was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality after adjustment for all potential confounders (hazard ratio [HR] 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.38). The increased risk of cardiovascular mortality was particularly evident in women aged < 65 years (HR 2.00; 95% CI 1.34-2.98) and men aged ≥ 65 years (HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.06-1.55). CRBBB is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in women aged < 65 years and men aged ≥ 65 years. Clinicians should be aware of the presence of CRBBB in young women and elderly men, even if they exhibit no symptoms.

Hypertensive Retinopathy and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke

Objective

Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) and hypertensive retinopathy are known end organ damage of the brain and eye respectively, with HS having deleterious consequence to the patients. This study is to correlate between hypertensive retinopathy and HS in hypertensive disease.

Methods

A control group of hypertensive patients only, and an investigated group of hypertensive HS patients. Fundoscopic examination to determine the grade of retinopathy was performed and then divided into low or high severity hypertensive retinopathy. Clinical and radiological parameter included are demography, vital signs, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) on admission, clot volume, site of clot, Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) score and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS). Data were correlated with the severity of hypertensive retinopathy.

Results

Fifty patient in the control group and 51 patients in the investigated group were recruited. In the hypertensive HS group, 21 had low severity retinopathy (no or mild retinopathy) accounting for 41.2% and 30 patients had high severity (moderate or severe retinopathy). In the hypertensive patients 49 had low severity and one had high severity (p-value of 0.001). In HS group low severity showed better GCS score of 9–15 on admission (p-value of 0.003), clot volume less than 30 mL (p-value 0.001), and also a better 30 days mortality rate by using the ICH score (p-value 0.006), GOS score of 4 and 5 the low severity retinopathy fair better than the high severity retinopathy (p-value of 0.001), and the relative risk to develop HS in low severity and high severity retinopathy was 0.42 and 29.4, respectively.

Conclusion

Hypertensive retinopathy screening could be used as an indicator in hypertensive patient, to evaluate the risk of developing hypertensive HS in the future.

Does exogenous androgen use affect the retinal blood flow: An OCTA study in transgender men

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate the effect of using exogenous androgen on retinal microvascular structures in transgender men.

METHODS

Retinal microvascular structures of transgender men and healthy women in the control group were visualized with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Foveal avascular zone (FAZ), superficial capillary vascular density (sCVD), deep capillary vascular density (dCVD), and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) vascular density were evaluated.

RESULTS

Thirty transgender men and 30 healthy women were included in the study. There were no significant differences between transgender men and the control group in terms of FAZ, central macular thickness, parafoveal, and perifoveal retinal thicknesses (p = 0.859, 0.288, 0.561, and 0.719; respectively). sCVD were found to be low in transgender men in the whole image, parafoveal, and perifoveal zones (p = 0.006, 0.025, and 0.005; respectively). Although there were low values of dCVD of the whole image, parafoveal, and perifoveal zones in transgender men, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.295, 0.085, and 0.270; respectively). RPC vessel densities in the whole image, peripapillary zone, and the inferior of the optic disc were found to be significantly low in transgender men (p = 0.003, 0.005, and 0.003; respectively).

CONCLUSION

In this study, a decrease in vessel density in the superficial retinal layers and around the optic disc was detected in transgender men. These findings suggest that routine ophthalmological examination may be important in individuals who use exogenous androgens.

Association between extremely high high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and hypertensive retinopathy: results of a cross-sectional study from Kanagawa Investigation of Total Checkup Data from the National Database-6 (KITCHEN-6)

OBJECTIVES

Doubt has been cast on the atheroprotective effect of very high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Hypertensive retinopathy (HR) is caused by persistent systemic hypertension. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between extremely high HDL-C (EH-HDL) and HR.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 4072 general Japanese population aged 40-74 years who underwent regular medical check-ups including fundus examinations.

OUTCOME MEASURES

HR and clinical parameters including serum HDL-C were investigated. HR was determined by the Keith-Wagener classification and the Scheie classifications for Hypertension and Atherosclerosis (n=4054 available). Serum HDL-C was divided into five categories: 30-49, 50-69, 70-89, 90-109 and ≥110 mg/dL.

RESULTS

Overall, 828 (20.3%) subjects had Keith-Wagener-HR, 578 (14.3%) had hypertension-HR, and 628 (15.5%) had atherosclerosis-HR. Blood pressure decreased as HDL-C level increased, whereas the prevalences of HRs showed U-shaped curves against HDL-C with minimum values for HDL-C 90-109 mg/dL. In logistic regression analyses, EH-HDL ≥110 mg/dL was significantly associated with Keith-Wagener-HR and atherosclerosis-HR, compared with HDL-C 90-109 mg/dL after adjustments for age, sex and systolic blood pressure (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.45 to 6.27 and OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.03 to 4.86). The hypertension-HR was not significantly associated with EH-HDL regardless of adjustment for the confounding factors (p=0.05-0.08). Although serum HDL-C as a continuous variable was inversely associated with three HRs, which disappeared after adjustment for the confounding factors.

CONCLUSION

EH-HDL may be associated with HR independently of blood pressure, suggesting that EH-HDL reflects a special atherosclerotic condition.

Impact of Retinopathy and Systemic Vascular Comorbidities on All-Cause Mortality

PURPOSE

To assess the impact of retinopathy and systemic vascular comorbidities on the all-cause mortality in a representative U.S. sample.

METHODS

A total of 5703 participants (≥40 years old) from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grading scale was used to evaluate the retinopathy status. Systemic vascular comorbidities included diabetes mellitus (DM), high blood pressure (HBP), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Time to death was calculated as the time from baseline to either the date of death or censoring (December 31^st, 2015), whichever came first. Risks of mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models after adjusting for confounders and vascular comorbidities.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 8.33 years (IQR: 7.50-9.67 years), there were 949 (11.8%) deaths from all causes. After adjusting for confounders, the presence of retinopathy predicted higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR), 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.83). The all-cause mortality among participants with both retinopathy and systemic vascular comorbidities including DM (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.21-2.43), HBP (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.03-2.10), CKD (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.26-2.39) and CVD (HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.21-3.04) was significantly higher than that among those without either condition. When stratified by diabetic or hypertension status, the co-occurrence of retinopathy and CKD or CVD further increased the all-cause mortality compared to those without either condition.

CONCLUSIONS

The co-occurrence of retinopathy and systemic vascular conditions predicted a further increase in the risk of mortality. More extensive vascular risk factor assessment and management are needed to detect the burden of vascular pathologies and improve long-term survival in individuals with retinopathy.

The eye, the kidney, and cardiovascular disease: old concepts, better tools, and new horizons

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, with hypertension and diabetes mellitus acting as major risk factors for its development. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the most frequent end point of CKD. There is an urgent need for more precise methods to identify patients at risk of CKD and cardiovascular disease. Alterations in microvascular structure and function contribute to the development of hypertension, diabetes, CKD, and their associated cardiovascular disease. Homology between the eye and the kidney suggests that noninvasive imaging of the retinal vessels can detect these microvascular alterations to improve targeting of at-risk patients. Retinal vessel-derived metrics predict incident hypertension, diabetes, CKD, and cardiovascular disease and add to the current renal and cardiovascular risk stratification tools. The advent of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has transformed retinal imaging by capturing the chorioretinal microcirculation and its dependent tissue with near-histological resolution. In hypertension, diabetes, and CKD, OCT has revealed vessel remodeling and chorioretinal thinning. Clinical and preclinical OCT has linked retinal microvascular pathology to circulating and histological markers of injury in the kidney. The advent of OCT angiography allows contrast-free visualization of intraretinal capillary networks to potentially detect early incipient microvascular disease. Combining OCT's deep imaging with the analytical power of deep learning represents the next frontier in defining what the eye can reveal about the kidney and broader cardiovascular health.

Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Matter and Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases in Japan: The Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study (IPHS)

Aim: To examine the association between long-term exposure to suspended particulate matter (SPM) and cardiovascular mortality in Japan after controlling for known major confounding factors among a large middle and elderly cohort study in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.

Methods: We followed 91,808 residents (men 34%) who undertook a national health check-up at age 40–79 years for 17 years (1993–2010). Two different exposure indices were adopted: baseline SPM concentration (in the year 1990) and average SPM concentration for the first (average of 1990 and 1995) and the second half (average of 2005 to 2009) of the study period. Sex-specific adjusted risk ratios (RRs) for cardiovascular mortality were calculated using general mixed Poisson regression models after adjusting the age, BMI, history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, creatinine, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, alcohol, and temperature. The variation between seven medical administration areas was also taken into account as a random effect.

Results: Baseline SPM concentration was associated with an increased risk of mortality from all cardiovascular diseases, coronary artery disease, and stroke. The adjusted RRs (95% confidence interval [CI]) per 10 µg/m³ increase in SPM concentration for all cardiovascular mortality were 1.147 (1.014–1.300) for men and 1.097 (0.985–1.222) for women. The point estimate of RR was highest for non-hemorrhagic stroke in men (1.248 [0.991–1.571]), although CI overlapped the unity. The RRs seemed slightly lower in the second half than in the first half, though the CIs widened in the second half.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that long-term exposure to SPM is associated with an increased risk of all cardiovascular mortality for men in Ibaraki, Japan.

Atrial Fibrillation With and Without Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Stroke Mortality

Aim: The association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and risk of stroke mortality among men and women without traditional cerebrocardiovascular risk factors (TCVRFs) is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether AF was a risk factor for stroke and total cardiovascular disease mortality among individuals without TCVRFs.

Methods: A total of 90,629 Japanese subjects from the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study aged 40–79 years, with and without TCVRFs, were studied from 1993 to 2013. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard regression model stratified by sex and the presence of TCVRFs. Covariates were age, systolic blood pressure, anti-hypertensive medication use, and serum total cholesterol levels. A standard 12-lead electrocardiogram at rest was used to screen AF. Cause-specific mortality was classified according to the International Classification of Disease code.

Results: Compared with participants without AF, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) for stroke mortality among participants without TCVRFs were 4.3 (1.1–17.8) and 15.0 (5.5–40.8) for men and women with AF, respectively. HRs for total cardiovascular disease mortality were 6.2 (2.8–14.2) for men and 10.7 (4.8–24.1) for women. For participants with TCVRFs, multivariable-adjusted HRs for stroke mortality were 3.1 (2.2–4.6) and 4.3 (2.6–7.3), whereas HRs for total cardiovascular disease mortality were 2.9 (2.2–3.8) and 3.5 (2.4–5.1) for men and women, respectively.

Conclusions: AF was found to be an independent risk factor for stroke and total cardiovascular mortality even in individuals without other TCVRFs.

Associations of cardiovascular risk factors and retinal vessel dimensions at present and their evolution over time in a healthy working population

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether an association between retinal vessel diameters with blood pressure and other risk factors exists in a healthy working population and whether current risk factors can be used as predictors for retinal vessel changes over time.

METHODS

Retinal photographs and medical data were obtained during a voluntary work health check in 2010 and 2013. The central retinal arterial equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) were assessed using a semi-automated software. Linear regression analysis was carried out to determine associations with systemic parameters and cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 1685 participants had gradable photographs and full medical data with a mean age of 44.8 years (SD: 10.2) and 80.8% being male; full data were obtained in both 2010 and 2013 for 365 participants allowing for longitudinal analysis. In the cross-sectional analysis, a mean CRAE of 171.2 ±18.3 μm and a mean CRVE 215.8 ± 18.6 μm were found. A significant negative association for CRAE was seen for age, mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), body mass index (BMI) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), while triglycerides, spherical equivalent (SAE) and being a current smoker were positively associated. For CRVE age, MABP, HbA1c and HDL were negatively associated, while being female, low-density lipoprotein, white blood cell count, SAE and being a current smoker showed a positive association. The linear regression model for the cross-sectional analysis explained 31% and 21% of the variance of CRAE and CRVE, respectively. The longitudinal analysis showed a mean decrease of -1.6 μm (p = 0.04) for CRAE and -2.0 (p = 0.005) for CRVE within the three-year time frame. Linear regression analysis with longitudinal data showed a significant association for HDL and CRAE, while for other factors no statistically significant association between current risk factors and changes in CRAE and CRVE was observed.

CONCLUSION

The width of both arterial and venous retinal vessels shows associations not only with arterial blood pressure but also with biochemical markers of cardiovascular risk. While such effects are partially established for elderly persons, our study results indicate that they apply also in a young population in working age with seemingly unimpaired health.

Gender-Specific Association between Serum Uric Acid and Incident Fundus Arteriosclerosis in Chinese Population: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Elevated levels of serum uric acid (SUA) were considered to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease, it has been found to be associated with increased arteriosclerosis. The aim of this study was to explore the gender specific relationship between SUA and fundus arteriosclerosis in a healthy population. In a retrospective cross-sectional study, 23474 individuals without diabetes and hypertension were included in the present study. SUA levels were cut to four groups as Q1 to Q4, according to the quartiles. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of different SUA levels were estimated by a binomial logistic regression model. A restrictive cubic spline method was used to estimate the dose-response relationship between SUA and fundus arteriosclerosis. Subgroup analysis was performed to find the gender-specific association between SUA and incident fundus arteriosclerosis. In males, after adjusting for confounding factors, the highest SUA level was significantly associated with the risk of incident fundus arteriosclerosis. The OR with 95%CI for Q4 was 1.44(1.18, 1.76), Q1 as a reference. Specially, for females, SUA level was not associated with the incidence of fundus arteriosclerosis. In conclusion, elevated levels of SUA were associated with the incidence of fundus arteriosclerosis in males, but not in females.

Blood Pressure Measurement and Treatment Decisions

White-coat and masked hypertension are important hypertension phenotypes. Out-of-office blood pressure measurement is essential for the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of these conditions. This review summarizes literature related to the detection and diagnosis, prevalence, epidemiology, prognosis, and treatment of white-coat and masked hypertension. Cardiovascular risk in white-coat hypertension appears to be dependent on the presence of coexisting risk factors, whereas patients with masked hypertension are at increased risk of target organ damage and cardiovascular events. There is an unmet need for robust data to support recommendations around the use of antihypertensive treatment for the management of white-coat and masked hypertension.

A Review of Hypertensive Retinopathy and Chorioretinopathy

Hypertensive retinopathy and choroidopathy have important short- and long-term implications on patients' overall health and mortality. Eye care professionals should be familiar with the severity staging of these entities and be able to readily recognize and refer patients who are in need of systemic blood pressure control. This paper will review the diagnosis, staging, treatment, and long-term implications for vision and mortality of patients with hypertensive retinopathy and choroidopathy.

Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity Versus Its Stiffness Index β-Transformed Value as Risk Marker for Cardiovascular Disease

Background

The difference in the predictive ability of the brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and its stiffness index β‐transformed value (β‐baPWV, ie, baPWV adjusted for the pulse pressure) for the development of pathophysiological abnormalities related to cardiovascular disease or future occurrence of cardiovascular disease was examined.

Methods and Results

In study 1, a 7‐year prospective observational study in cohorts of 3274 men and 3490 men, the area under the curve in the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was higher for baPWV than for β‐baPWV for predicting the development of hypertension (0.73, 95% CI=0.70 to 0.75 versus 0.59, 95% CI=0.56 to 0.62; P<0.01) and/or the development of retinopathy (0.78, 95% CI=0.73 to 0.82 versus 0.66, 95% CI=0.60 to 0.71; P<0.01) by the end of the study period. During study 2, a 3‐year observation period on 511 patients with coronary artery disease, 72 cardiovascular events were confirmed. The C statistics of both markers for predicting the development of cardiovascular events were similar.

Conclusions

Stiffness index β transformation of the baPWV may attenuate the significance of the baPWV as a risk marker for development of pathophysiological abnormalities related to cardiovascular disease in male subjects.

Age-Specific Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on Cardiovascular Mortality Among Japanese Men and Women (The Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study [IPHS])

The age-specific impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on cardiovascular diseases remains unclear. A total of 90,629 participants who were from 40 to 79 years of age in 1993 were followed up until 2013 as part of the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study. Hazard ratios for mortality stratified by gender and age groups were calculated using Cox's proportional hazards regression models. A total of 22,794 patients (11,329 men and 11,465 women) died during the follow-up period, including 6,684 patients who died of cardiovascular causes (2,951 men and 3,733 women). On multivariable analysis, participants with AF had an increased risk of cardiovascular-related mortality compared with those without AF. Among participants aged 40 to 64 years, the adjusted hazard ratios were 3.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0 to 5.3) for men and 7.1 (95% CI 3.2 to 16.0) for women; the corresponding adjusted hazard ratios among participants aged 65 to 79 years were 3.0 (95% CI 2.2 to 4.0) for men and 3.7 (95% CI 2.5 to 5.4) for women. No significant difference in hazard ratios between age groups was found for either gender. AF was significantly associated with all-cause mortality in each age and gender group; again, no significant difference in hazard ratios between the age groups was found in terms of AF. AF may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortalities regardless of age.

High Hematocrit Levels Are Associated with Risk of Cardiovascular Mortality among Middle-Aged Japanese Women: The Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study (IPHS)

In Japan, heart disease and cerebrovascular disease were the second and fourth leading cause of death, respectively in 2014. Hematocrit, the ratio of the red blood cells to the total volume of blood is known to play a role in cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship between elevated hematocrit and the risk of cardiovascular disease based on sex has not been examined in Asian countries. We analyzed data from the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study, a community-based large cohort study, which included 87,533 individuals, aged 40 to 79 years living in 38 municipalities of the Ibaraki Prefecture, who had completed an annual health checkup in 1993, and were followed until 2013. The hematocrit levels of the subjects were categorized into 5 quintiles (Q1-Q5), and hazard ratios for cause-specific mortality were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards regression models. Age and other cardiovascular risk factors were the covariates in the study. During the follow-up for a mean of 17.9 years, 1,207 deaths (615 men and 592 women) due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were reported in this population. The p values for the trend in the Q3-Q5 groups were 0.661 for men and 0.020 for women. Additionally, these values were significant in younger (40 to 59 years) women but not in older (60 to 79 years) women. This study is the first one to demonstrate an association between high hematocrit level and risk of AMI mortality in younger Japanese women, but not in men and older women.

Prevalence and risk profile of retinopathy in non-diabetic subjects: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2008

IMPORTANCE

Recent US national population-based data on the prevalence of retinopathy in non-diabetic participants is limited.

BACKGROUND

To assess the prevalence and risk factors of retinopathy in a representative US population without diabetes.

DESIGN

Population-based, cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 4354 non-diabetic participants 40 years and older with valid fundus photographs in the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

METHODS

Diabetes mellitus was defined as glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥6.5%, physician diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or use of diabetic medication. Retinopathy level was based on the Modified Airlie House adaptation from the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) protocol. Risk profile was assessed from standardized interviews, clinical examinations and laboratory measurements.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Prevalence and risk profile of retinopathy in non-diabetic participants.

RESULTS

The overall weighted prevalence of retinopathy was 6.7% (n = 341). Among them, 98.2% (n = 331) had signs of minimal-to-mild non-proliferative retinopathy (ETDRS level 14-31) while only 1.8% (n = 10) had moderate-to-severe non-proliferative retinopathy (ETDRS level 41-51). After adjusting for multiple covariates, retinopathy signs in non-diabetic participants were associated with male gender (odds ratio [OR] 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22-1.93), systolic blood pressure (OR per 10 mmHg increase 1.11; 95% CI 1.03-1.19), HbA1c (OR per % increase 1.43; 95% CI 1.01-2.05) and history of stroke (OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.14-5.04).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Consistent with previous studies, signs of retinopathy are common in US persons without diabetes. Risk factors for retinopathy signs include gender, blood pressure, HbA1c and history of stroke.

Kanagawa Investigation of the Total Check-up Data from the National database (KITCHEN): protocol for data-driven population-based repeated cross-sectional and 6-year cohort studies

INTRODUCTION

The unmitigated incidence of cardiometabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, has gained attention in Japan. 'Big data' can be useful to clarify conflicting observations obtained from studies with small samples and about rare conditions that are often neglected. We epidemiologically address these issues using data from health check-ups conducted in Kanagawa Prefecture, the prefecture with the second largest population in Japan, in the Kanagawa Investigation of the Total Check-up Data from the National Database (KITCHEN).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This research consists of a series of population-based cross-sectional studies repeated from 2008-2014 and 6-year cohort studies. Since 2017, we have reviewed the data of people living in Kanagawa Prefecture who underwent a health check-up mainly for general health and the prevention of metabolic syndrome. The sample size ranges from 1.2 million to 1.8 million people in the cross-sectional studies and from 370 000 to 590 000 people in the cohort studies. These are people aged 40-74 years, whose clinical parameters were measured and who responded individually to a questionnaire. We investigate potential associations and causalities of various aetiologies, including diabetes and metabolic syndrome, using clinical data and lifestyle information. With multidisciplinary analysis, including data-driven analysis, we expect to obtain a wide range of novel findings, to confirm indeterminate previous findings, especially in terms of cardiometabolic disease, and to provide new perspectives for human health promotion and disease prevention.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was received from the Ethics Committee of Kanagawa University of Human Services (10-43). The protocol was approved in December 2016 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (No. 121). The study results will be disseminated through open platforms including journal articles, relevant conferences and seminar presentations.

Risk factors for hypertensive retinopathy in a Chinese population with hypertension: The Beijing Eye study

Hypertensive retinopathy (HRP) is a clinical feature and systemic manifestation of hypertension. There have been few reports on the risk factors for hypertensive retinopathy in China. The aim of the present study was to describe risk factors associated with HRP in a population-based sample of Chinese patients with hypertension in Beijing. The clinical data of 228 hypertensive patients was retrospectively studied, including 112 patients with retinopathy for the HRP group and 116 patients without retinopathy for the NO-HRP group. Basic clinical data and plasma clinical indicators of the two groups were compared. Logistic regression models were used to assess risk factors associated with HRP. Duration of hypertension, smoking habits, family history of hypertension, plasma level of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly increased in the HRP group compared with the NO-HRP group (P<0.05). No significant differences were identified between the two groups for other factors. Logistic regression models indicated that hypertension duration (P<0.001, 95% CI: 0.962-0.988) and ET-1 level (P<0.001, 95% CI: 1.144-1.278) were significantly associated with HRP. The diagnostic threshold of ET-1 to diagnosis HRP was 43.5 ng/l. Of the factors studied, longer hypertension duration and elevated ET-1 level were identified to be risk factors for HRP in patients with hypertension from Beijing. Detecting the plasma level of ET-1 in patients with hypertension may be a useful diagnostic indicator for HRP.

2018 ESC/ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension: The Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension: The Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension

: Document reviewers: Guy De Backer (ESC Review Co-ordinator) (Belgium), Anthony M. Heagerty (ESH Review Co-ordinator) (UK), Stefan Agewall (Norway), Murielle Bochud (Switzerland), Claudio Borghi (Italy), Pierre Boutouyrie (France), Jana Brguljan (Slovenia), Héctor Bueno (Spain), Enrico G. Caiani (Italy), Bo Carlberg (Sweden), Neil Chapman (UK), Renata Cifkova (Czech Republic), John G. F. Cleland (UK), Jean-Philippe Collet (France), Ioan Mircea Coman (Romania), Peter W. de Leeuw (The Netherlands), Victoria Delgado (The Netherlands), Paul Dendale (Belgium), Hans-Christoph Diener (Germany), Maria Dorobantu (Romania), Robert Fagard (Belgium), Csaba Farsang (Hungary), Marc Ferrini (France), Ian M. Graham (Ireland), Guido Grassi (Italy), Hermann Haller (Germany), F. D. Richard Hobbs (UK), Bojan Jelakovic (Croatia), Catriona Jennings (UK), Hugo A. Katus (Germany), Abraham A. Kroon (The Netherlands), Christophe Leclercq (France), Dragan Lovic (Serbia), Empar Lurbe (Spain), Athanasios J. Manolis (Greece), Theresa A. McDonagh (UK), Franz Messerli (Switzerland), Maria Lorenza Muiesan (Italy), Uwe Nixdorff (Germany), Michael Hecht Olsen (Denmark), Gianfranco Parati (Italy), Joep Perk (Sweden), Massimo Francesco Piepoli (Italy), Jorge Polonia (Portugal), Piotr Ponikowski (Poland), Dimitrios J. Richter (Greece), Stefano F. Rimoldi (Switzerland), Marco Roffi (Switzerland), Naveed Sattar (UK), Petar M. Seferovic (Serbia), Iain A. Simpson (UK), Miguel Sousa-Uva (Portugal), Alice V. Stanton (Ireland), Philippe van de Borne (Belgium), Panos Vardas (Greece), Massimo Volpe (Italy), Sven Wassmann (Germany), Stephan Windecker (Switzerland), Jose Luis Zamorano (Spain).The disclosure forms of all experts involved in the development of these Guidelines are available on the ESC website www.escardio.org/guidelines.

Retinal vessel morphology in rheumatoid arthritis: Association with systemic inflammation, subclinical atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular risk

OBJECTIVE

Quantification of retinal vessel morphology has emerged as a marker of cardiovascular health. We examined retinal microvascular diameters in RA, particularly in regard to systemic inflammation, subclinical atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular risk.

METHODS

Retinal images from RA patients and controls were processed using computerized software, to obtain CRAE and CRVE and AVR. Subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed with cIMT, and 10-year risk of general cardiovascular disease was calculated.

RESULTS

Both CRAE (78.8 ± 8.9 vs 90.2 ± 9.9 μm, P < .001) and AVR (0.69 ± 0.09 vs 0.81 ± 0.09, P < .001) were decreased in RA patients (n = 87) compared to controls (n = 46), whereas CRVE did not differ. Among RA patients, CRAE and AVR were inversely associated with both cIMT and CRP, whereas CRVE positively correlated with CRP (P < .05 for all). CRAE additionally correlated with cardiovascular risk score (r = -.396, P = .001). In the multivariate analysis, cardiovascular risk was associated with CRAE; age with CRVE, while CRP independently predicted AVR.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows altered retinal microvascular morphology in RA patients. Inflammation appears as the biological link for the observed association between retinal microvascular abnormalities and subclinical atherosclerosis. Retinal arteriolar narrowing might play its own role in cardiovascular risk prediction in RA.

Hypertension and the eye

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Hypertension is the primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality that consists a major public health issue worldwide. Hypertension triggers a series of pathophysiological ocular modifications affecting significantly the retinal, choroidal, and optic nerve circulations that result in a range of ocular effects.The retina is the only place in the body where microvasculature can be directly inspected, providing valuable information on hypertension related systemic risks.The aim of this review is to provide an update on latest advances regarding the detection and significance of hypertension related eye signs.

RECENT FINDINGS

It's been shown that measurable retinal microvascular changes may precede progression of systemic microvascular disease.Last years, there are emerging advances in the field retinal imaging and computer software analysis that have enabled the objective and accurate assessment of retinal vascular caliber, while in association with latest epidemiological studies several other retinal vascular features have been recognized, such as vascular length-to-diameter ratio, and wall-to-lumen ratio that may also be associated to hypertension.Additionally, recent genetic studies have provided some insight to vascular pathophysiological processes having correlated new chromosome's loci to hypertensive retinopathy signs.

SUMMARY

Assessment of hypertensive retinopathy signs may convey additional prognostic information on the risk of end-organ damage and may alert for urgent systemic management or even preventive systemic therapies. Further development of retinal vascular imaging and computerized system may provide a significant tool to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of hypertension in clinical practice.

High blood pressure: An obscuring misnomer?

High blood pressure (BP) has been identified as a major risk factor for cardiovascular complications. Although two-way association between BP and hypertensive complications makes hypertension a near-ideal biomarker, BP as “the cause” for the complications of HT per se still needs more evidence. Another entirely possible hemodynamic candidate for causing hypertensive cardiovascular adverse events can be flow or its iterations, which might have escaped the attention because of its perfect correlation with pressure and harder technical measurement. In this article, we analyze the evidence in hand to compare flow- and pressure-related phenomena to delineate which of the two is the dominant mediator of complications related to hypertension and should be the target for therapy. A “flow-” rather than a “pressure-” based factor, as the causative or major driving mediator of common hypertensive complications, may change our understanding of hypertension pathophysiology.

Consideration of hypertensive retinopathy as an important end-organ damage in patients with hypertension

Longstanding and therapy-resistant hypertension may cause cerebral, renal, cardiac and retinal end-organ damage (EOD). Retinal hypertensive abnormalities are correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease in general but are not included in CV risk assessment tools. Research into prevalence and determinants of retinal organ damage, such as hypertensive retinopathy (HR), is scarce. We evaluated the prevalence of HR and the association with other signs of EOD in patients with hypertension. A retrospective observational study was performed in all hypertensive patients referred by a general practitioner to the hypertension clinic at the Diakonessenhuis, Utrecht and Zeist, the Netherlands between 2011 and 2013. A screening of risk factors, albuminuria, left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and retinal fundoscopy was performed. In all, 44% (123/280) of patients referred to the clinic were diagnosed with HR, while 15 and 11% were diagnosed with LVH and microalbuminuria, respectively. Patients with isolated HR consisted of 31% of all patients. When HR was added as a form of EOD, the percentage of patients with a treatment indication increased from 3 to 14%. Patients who were already on treatment goal exhibited a high prevalence of HR (28%), warranting treatment intensification. HR is prevalent in a third of hypertensive patients referred to our clinic, and isolated HR accounts for the majority of (end-) organ damages. Fundoscopy in the evaluation of hypertension might improve the indication for therapy. Furthermore, diagnosing HR could be helpful in selecting patients with hypertension on treatment goal in need of more aggressive treatment.

Mortality in Older Persons with Retinopathy and Concomitant Health Conditions: The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study

PURPOSE

To assess the impact of retinopathy on mortality in older persons with concomitant health conditions.

DESIGN

Population-based prospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 4966 individuals aged 67 to 96 years (43.2% were male) from the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study (AGES-RS).

METHODS

Retinopathy was evaluated from digital fundus images (2002-2006) using the modified Airlie House adaptation of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol. Mortality was assessed through September 2013 (cause of death assigned through 2009). Cox proportional hazards regression models, with age as the time scale, estimated the association between retinopathy and death while controlling for risk factors and the presence of concomitant health conditions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Mortality from all causes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

RESULTS

Among the 4966 participants, 503 (10.1%) had diabetes and 614 (12.4%) had retinopathy at baseline. A subset of these (136 [2.7%]) had both diabetes and retinopathy. After a median follow-up of 8.6 years, 1763 persons died, 276 (45.0%) with retinopathy and 1487 (34.2%) without retinopathy, of whom 76 and 162 persons, respectively, also had diabetes. There were 366 deaths from CVD through 2009, 72 (11.7%) in persons with retinopathy and 294 (6.8%) in those without retinopathy. In multivariable analyses, retinopathy was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.43; P < 0.01) and CVD-related mortality (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.20-2.06; P < 0.01). Findings were more striking in men: all-cause HR, 1.33 (95% CI, 1.11-1.60) and CVD HR, 1.81 (95% CI, 1.25-2.63). Risk of mortality was further increased among those with retinopathy concomitant with microalbuminuria (all-cause HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.03-2.23, and CVD HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.27-3.28) and those with retinopathy, microalbuminuria, and diabetes (all-cause HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.22-3.31, and CVD HR, 5.24; 95% CI, 1.91-14.42). History of clinical stroke increased the risk of CVD-related mortality among persons with retinopathy (HR, 3.30; 95% CI, 2.05-5.32), particularly those with retinopathy and diabetes (HR, 5.38; 95% CI, 1.80-16.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Even minimal retinopathy was a significant predictor of increased mortality in older persons, particularly men, irrespective of diabetes status. Persons with retinopathy may warrant closer clinical management of general health.