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Hypertension closely related to retinal microvascular changes

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People with hypertension are more likely to have retinal microvascular structural changes than people with normal blood pressure, according to a large cohort study.

Jie Jin Wong, MMed, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Sydney, Australia, studied fundus photographs from 3,654 participants in the Blue Mountains Eye Study who were at least 49 years old. The average arteriolar diameter was used as an index to generalize arteriolar narrowing. Hypertension was defined as use of antihypertensive medications, systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or greater or diastolic blood pressure of 95 mm Hg or greater.

Whether the hypertension was controlled, uncontrolled or untreated, all participants with hypertension had a higher prevalence of all retinal microvascular signs. Once diagnosed with hypertension, these people were significantly more likely to have lower central retinal arteriolar equivalent, focal arteriolar narrowing and arteriovenous nicking.

The study is published in Hypertension.