Epicardial Fat Thickness is Associated with Retinopathy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Hypertension

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive retinopathy develops based on endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Epicardial fat secretes various cytokines associated with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. We aimed to evaluate whether epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness is a marker for retinopathy in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. METHODS: A total of 73 newly diagnosed hypertension (HT) patients were included in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was used to measure EAT thickness. To evaluate the presence of retinopathy in HT patients, hypertensive retinopathy staging was performed by ophthalmologists, according to Scheie classification. RESULTS: Retinopathy was detected in 27 (37.0%) of 73 patients. EAT thickness in HT patients with retinopathy was higher than the group without retinopathy (5.07±1.45 mm vs. 4.19±1.20 mm, p=0.007). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in HT patients with retinopathy were higher than the group without retinopathy (162.4±41.2 mg/dl vs. 138.1±35.6 mg/dl, p=0.010). As a result of the regression analysis, LDL-C (OR=1.016, 95% CI 1.001–1.031, p=0.043) and EAT thickness (OR=1.674, 95% CI 1.069–2.626, p=0.043) were the independent predictors of retinopathy. CONCLUSION: Increased EAT thickness is associated with the presence of retinopathy in hypertensive patients.

Epicardial Fat Thickness in Patients with Acute Retinal Vein Occlusion

“…[8] Moreover, previous studies have shown the relationship between epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and the development of retinopathy in diabetic patients and newly diagnosed HT patients. [9,10] The EFT can be measured with different imaging techniques; these are echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and multidetector computed tomography (CT), however echocardiography is a simple and noninvasive procedure, and echocardiographic measurements of EFT was shown to correlate well with MRI. [6] There is no study showing whether there is a relationship between EFT and the RVO.…”