TY - JOUR
T1 - Altered Blood Vessel Responses in the Eye and Finger in Coronary Artery Disease
AU - Heitmar, Rebekka
AU - Cubbidge, Robert P.
AU - Lip, Gregory Y.H.
AU - Gherghel, Doina
AU - Blann, Andrew D.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2011/8/1
Y1 - 2011/8/1
N2 - PURPOSE. Cardiac function, such as heart rate variability, is abnormal in coronary artery disease, but its relation with the function of ocular and nail-fold blood vessels is unknown. The hypothesis was that there is abnormal retinal and peripheral microvascular endothelial function compared with large blood vessel and cardiac function. Twenty-four patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 30 healthy, age-and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. METHODS. Peripheral microcirculatory function was measured with continuous retinal vessel diameter assessment and nailfold capillaroscopy. Systemic vascular function was evaluated by 24-hour blood pressure, arterial stiffness, low (LF)-and high (HF)-frequency heart rate variability, ECG monitoring, and the plasma markers von Willebrand factor (vWf) and soluble E selectin. RESULTS. Peripheral nail-fold capillary (P = 0.009) and retinal vessel (average baseline corrected flicker response [BFR]; P = 0.034) responses and reaction time in response to flicker (P = 0.016) were significantly different in patients compared with controls. Furthermore, patients demonstrated higher arterial stiffness (P = 0.005), LF and HF heart rate variability (P = 0.004, P = 0.006), and vWf level (P = 0.044), but there was no difference in soluble E selectin level (P = 0.278). In the CAD patients, LF and HF heart rate variability both correlated with average BFR (r = 0.58, P = 0.004; r = -0.6, P = 0.003, respectively). There was no such relationship in the healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS. Microcirculatory abnormalities of the retina and nail-fold vessels are present in CAD. The two indices of heart rate variability correlated with an index of ocular vessel responses. The latter may be a surrogate marker of abnormal heart rate variability in CAD.
AB - PURPOSE. Cardiac function, such as heart rate variability, is abnormal in coronary artery disease, but its relation with the function of ocular and nail-fold blood vessels is unknown. The hypothesis was that there is abnormal retinal and peripheral microvascular endothelial function compared with large blood vessel and cardiac function. Twenty-four patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 30 healthy, age-and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. METHODS. Peripheral microcirculatory function was measured with continuous retinal vessel diameter assessment and nailfold capillaroscopy. Systemic vascular function was evaluated by 24-hour blood pressure, arterial stiffness, low (LF)-and high (HF)-frequency heart rate variability, ECG monitoring, and the plasma markers von Willebrand factor (vWf) and soluble E selectin. RESULTS. Peripheral nail-fold capillary (P = 0.009) and retinal vessel (average baseline corrected flicker response [BFR]; P = 0.034) responses and reaction time in response to flicker (P = 0.016) were significantly different in patients compared with controls. Furthermore, patients demonstrated higher arterial stiffness (P = 0.005), LF and HF heart rate variability (P = 0.004, P = 0.006), and vWf level (P = 0.044), but there was no difference in soluble E selectin level (P = 0.278). In the CAD patients, LF and HF heart rate variability both correlated with average BFR (r = 0.58, P = 0.004; r = -0.6, P = 0.003, respectively). There was no such relationship in the healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS. Microcirculatory abnormalities of the retina and nail-fold vessels are present in CAD. The two indices of heart rate variability correlated with an index of ocular vessel responses. The latter may be a surrogate marker of abnormal heart rate variability in CAD.
KW - Blood flow velocity
KW - Blood pressure
KW - Case-control studies
KW - Ciliary arteries
KW - Coronary artery disease
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80051499596&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1167/iovs.10-6628
DO - 10.1167/iovs.10-6628
M3 - Article
C2 - 21474768
AN - SCOPUS:80051499596
VL - 52
SP - 6199
EP - 6205
JO - Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
JF - Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
SN - 0146-0404
IS - 9
ER -