Remodeling of Retinal Arterioles and Carotid Arteries in Heart Failure Development-A Preliminary Study

Janusz Sadowski; Ryszard Targonski; Piotr Cyganski; Paulina Nowek; Magdalena Starek-Stelmaszczyk; Katarzyna Zajac; Judyta Juranek; Joanna Wojtkiewicz; Andrzej Rynkiewicz

doi:10.3390/jcm11133721

Remodeling of Retinal Arterioles and Carotid Arteries in Heart Failure Development-A Preliminary Study

J Clin Med. 2022 Jun 27;11(13):3721. doi: 10.3390/jcm11133721.

Authors

Janusz Sadowski¹, Ryszard Targonski¹, Piotr Cyganski¹, Paulina Nowek¹, Magdalena Starek-Stelmaszczyk¹, Katarzyna Zajac¹, Judyta Juranek², Joanna Wojtkiewicz², Andrzej Rynkiewicz¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury, 10-045 Olsztyn, Poland.
² Department of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, University of Warmia and Masuria, 10-900 Olsztyn, Poland.

Abstract

Current data indicate that heart failure (HF) is associated with inflammation and microvascular dysfunction and remodeling. These mechanisms could be involved in HF development and progression, especially in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We aimed to compare structural changes in retinal arterioles and carotid arteries between HF patients and patients without heart failure. This preliminary, retrospective, case-control study included 28 participants (14 patients with HFpEF and 14 age- and sex-matched healthy controls). Carotid intima-media thickness to lumen ratio (cIMTLR) was assessed using B-mode ultrasonography. Retinal arterioles wall- to-lumen ratio (rWLR) was assessed by adaptive optics camera rtx1. The HF patients had higher IMTLR (Δ_median [HFpEF-control group] 0.07, p = 0.01) and eWLR (Δ_median 0.03, p = 0.001) in comparison to patients without HF. In the whole study group, rWLR correlated significantly with IMTLR (r = 0.739, p = 0.001). Prevalence of arterial hypertension was similar in both groups, however, patients with HF had a significantly lower office, central and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (systolic Δ_median -21 to -18 mmHg; diastolic Δ_median -23 to -10 mmHg). Our data suggests gradual and simultaneous progression of vascular remodeling in both retinal arterioles and carotid arteries in HFpEF patients. This process could be a marker of HF development. Significantly lower blood pressure values in HF group may indicate that vascular remodeling could be independent of BP control. Nevertheless, further and larger prospective studies allowing to reduce the impact of confounding and address temporality are warranted.

Keywords: arterial blood pressure; common carotid intima-media thickness-to-lumen ratio; heart failure; retinal arterioles wall-to-lumen ratio.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. This study was supported by the statutory grant, no. 61610001-100, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. Research financed by a grant from the Minister of Education and Science as statutory research.