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. 2021 May 24;11(6):937.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11060937.

Relationship between Retinal Microvasculature, Cardiovascular Risk and Silent Brain Infarction in Hypertensive Patients

Rosa Forés  1   2 , Josep M Manresa  1 , Victor M López-Lifante  1   3 , Antonio Heras  1   2 , Pilar Delgado  4   5 , Xose Vázquez  6 , Susana Ruiz  7 , Maria Teresa Alzamora  1   2 , Pere Toran  1
Affiliations

Relationship between Retinal Microvasculature, Cardiovascular Risk and Silent Brain Infarction in Hypertensive Patients

Rosa Forés et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study are to analyze the role of artery-vein ratio AVR assessment using VesselMap 2 software (Imedos Systems) and cardiovascular risk evaluation by means of REGICOR in the prediction of silent brain infarction (SBI) in middle-age hypertensive patients from the ISSYS study.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study with 695 patients with hypertension aged 50 to 70 years who participated in the project Investigating Silent Strokes in HYpertensives: a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study (ISSYS), was conducted in two Primary Care Centres of Barcelona. Participants agreed to a retinography and an MRI to detect silent brain infarction (SBI). The IMEDOS software was used for the semiautomatic caliber measurement of retinal arteries and veins, and the AVR was considered abnormal when <0.66. The REGICOR score was calculated for all patients.

Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of AVR and REGICOR scores on SBI. The OR (odds ratio) for a high REGICOR score and an abnormal AVR were 3.16 and 4.45, respectively. When analysing the interaction of both factors, the OR of an abnormal AVR and moderate REGICOR score was 3.27, whereas with a high REGICOR score it reached 13.07.

Conclusions: The measurement of AVR in patients with hypertension and with a high REGICOR score can contribute to the detection of silent brain infarction.

Keywords: cardiovascular risk; hypertension; retinal microvasculature; silent brain infarction.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Semi-automatic measurement of artery and vein diameters by the VesselMap software. https://imedos.com/en/products/sva/ (accessed on 16 April 2021).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow Chart. * AF: Atrial Fibrillation; † MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; ‡ MI: Myocardial Infarction; § SBI: Silent Brain Infarction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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