Research progress on the correlation between retinal vascular tortuosity and cardiovascular disease risk factors

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.2095-2007.2024.02.010

Abstract

Abstract:

As a new independent predictor, the importance of retinal vascular tortuosity in the occurrence and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases has attracted widespread attention. In various risk factors and early stages of cardiovascular disease, the body may be in pathological states such as hypoxia, inflammation, and abnormal blood composition. These states lead to endothelial cell dysfunction, which in turn increases the shear force of blood flow in the blood vessels. This large shear stress, accompanied by vascular structural remodeling and loss of mechanical stability, may be the mechanism leading to changes in retinal vascular tortuosity. In recent years, the association between retinal vein tortuosity and cardiovascular disease or disease risk and risk factors have been explored in a quantify of clinical trials, which shows that an increase in retinal vein tortuosity is closely related to increased systolic blood pressure, increased body mass index, and long-term hypertension. The increase of retinal vein tortuosity may also be an early indicator of microvascular injury in diabetes, which is related to the higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and has important value in predicting the occurrence, development and severity of diabetes retinopathy. The tortuosity of retinal arteries is positively correlated with levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein. Evaluating the changes of retinal vascular tortuosity has important clinical practice value in cardiovascular risk prevention and prognosis, such as obtaining early warning and risk assessment information for cardiovascular diseases for physican. Retinal vascular analysis can assist clinicians in developing personalized treatment plans, monitoring treatment outcomes, and evaluating patient prognosis. The mechanism, clinical relevance, and application value of retinal vascular tortuosity changes in early diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases were reviewed in this paper.

Key words: Retinal microvasculature, Cardiovascular risk factor, Retinal vascular tortuosity, Fractal dimension, Fundus image

Yihao Lian, Jiayi Yi, Qing Zhang. Research progress on the correlation between retinal vascular tortuosity and cardiovascular disease risk factors[J]. Chinese Journal of Ophthalmologic Medicine(Electronic Edition), 2024, 14(02): 119-124.

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