A Challenged Sympathetic System Is Associated with Retinal Vascular Calibre in a Black Male Cohort: The SABPA Study

Abstract

Sympathetic system hyperactivity and depression are related to cardiac remodelling in "lack men. We investigated whether sympathetic system hyperactivity and depressive symptoms are related to retinal vascular dysregulation. " total of "lack and White men ( years of age) from the S""P" study were included. Depressive symptoms, h pulse pressure (PP), fasting blood and -hour urinary catecholamine data were obtained. Retinal vascular calibre was quantiied from digital photographs using standardized protocols. "lack men demonstrated increased (p < . ) hyperpulsatile pressure (PP > mmHg), hypertension ( . % vs . %) and depression ( . % vs. . %) prevalence compared to White men. Despite lower epinephrine levels, epinephrine was associated with arteriolar narrowing and venular widening in the "lack men ["dj R − . ( % CI − . , − . ), p= ."dj R . ( % CI . , . ), p= . ]. This might suggest ß-adrenergic hyporesponsivity to epinephrine, which was accompanied by hyperpulsatile blood pressure in the "lack group. In the White group, depressive symptoms and norepinephrine were associated with retinal arteriolar narrowing. " proile of ß-adrenergic hyporesponsivity, indicative of a chronically challenged sympathetic system, was associated with retinal vascular remodelling in "lack men. ß-adrenergic hyporesponsivity as a result of chronic stress emphasized central control of the brain on the circulatory system irrespective of the vascular bed.

Delayed retinal vein recovery responses indicate both non-adaptation to stress as well as increased risk for stroke: the SABPA study

“…Statistica version 13.3 (TIBCO Software Inc, Palo Alto, USA, 2018) was used for data analyses. Three-way ANCOVAs independent of a priori covariates were computed to determine main effect interactions (race × gender × u-NE median/tertiles/ quartiles/quintiles) for stroke 4,18,26 and neuronal hyperactivity risk markers. [25][26][27] Retinal risk covariates were selected a priori and included age, waist circumference (WC), cotinine smoking AFRICA status, γ-GT, HbA 1c , HDL-C, hypertensive/diabetic retinopathy and DOPP.…”

“…Three-way ANCOVAs independent of a priori covariates were computed to determine main effect interactions (race × gender × u-NE median/tertiles/ quartiles/quintiles) for stroke 4,18,26 and neuronal hyperactivity risk markers. [25][26][27] Retinal risk covariates were selected a priori and included age, waist circumference (WC), cotinine smoking AFRICA status, γ-GT, HbA 1c , HDL-C, hypertensive/diabetic retinopathy and DOPP. 4,18 An interaction term was fitted for retinal vein dilation [F 1, 254 = 4.34 (p = 0.014)] in u-NE tertiles, and not in median/quartiles or quintiles.…”

“…One hour prior to measurements, no intake of food or caffeine-containing beverages, alcohol, smoking or exercise were allowed and this is well-described elsewhere. [25][26][27] Analyses were performed in a well-controlled light-and temperature-regulated laboratory using the Retinal Vessel Analyser (Imedos Systems GmbH, Jena, Germany) with a Zeiss FF450 Plus camera and the software Vessel-Map 2, Version 3.02. 28 Participants were introduced to the procedure and screened for acute anterior angle chamber glaucoma risk with a small light source by a trained registered nurse.…”

“…We previously observed that the cardiac and retinal microvasculature reflected depressed HRV and hypo-perfusion. [18][19][20][25][26][27] Whether stress hormones will disturb retinal vessel responsiveness to increase the risk for stroke has yet to be determined. The aim of this study was therefore (1) to investigate temporal relationships between the retinal vasculature, SAM and HPA responses over three years and upon provocation, and (2) to determine stress and stroke risk.…”

A Stress Syndrome Prototype Reflects Type 3 Diabetes and Ischemic Stroke Risk: The SABPA Study

“…The phenotype revealed good discriminatory ability with a positive prediction of stroke risk in a prospective cohort, independent of age, race or gender (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.82 (95% CI: 0.75–0.85); p ≤ 0.001 for a positive prediction with 85% sensitivity/58% specificity). The phenotype biomarkers were determined with standardized methods [ 15 , 26 , 64 , 65 ].…”