Subretinal drusenoid deposits linked with cardiovascular disease
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Researchers used subretinal drusenoid deposit levels to identify high-risk cardiovascular diseases in a cohort of participants with age-related macular degeneration.
In a press release from Mount Sinai Health System, lead author R. Theodore Smith, MD, PhD, said he and colleagues were able to connect specific cardiovascular diseases to a specific form of AMD.
“This study is the first strong link between the leading cause of blindness, AMD, and heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide,” he said. “Furthermore, we also have strong evidence for what actually happens: The blood supply to the eye is directly diminished by these diseases, either by heart damage that diminishes blood supply throughout the body or from a blocked carotid artery that directly impedes blood flow to the eye.”
In the cross-sectional study, spectral-domain OCT, autofluorescence and near-infrared reflectance imaging, and lipid profiles were obtained for 200 participants with AMD. Then, models tested the relationship between high-risk vascular diseases and subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs) through health history questionnaires and each patient’s drusenoid deposit status.
The prevalence of vascular diseases was 41.2% in the SDD group and 6.8% in the non-SDD group (P = 9 × 109).
“This work demonstrates the fact that ophthalmologists may be the first physicians to detect systemic disease, especially in asymptomatic patients,” co-investigator Richard B. Rosen, MD, said in the release. “Detecting SDDs in the retina should trigger a referral to the individual’s primary care provider, especially if no previous cardiologist has been involved. It could prevent a life-threatening cardiac event.”
- Reference:
- Blinding eye disease strongly associated with serious forms of cardiovascular disease. https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2022/blinding-eye-disease-strongly-associated-with-serious-forms-of-cardiovascular-disease#:~:text=Patients%20with%20a%20specific%20form,associated%20with%20certain%20types%20of. Published Nov. 17, 2022. Accessed Nov. 17, 2022.
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