Evaluation of Fundoscopic Abnormalities in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Year 2019, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 26 - 32, 28.04.2019

Tolga Doğan , Macit Kalçık , Mucahit Yetim Özgür Yalçınbayır Lütfü Bekar , Oğuzhan Çelik Osman Akın Serdar

https://doi.org/10.19127/mbsjohs.543978

Abstract

Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the world.
There has been recent interest to microvasculature changes that are involved in
systemic conditions associated with CAD. Retinal microvascular changes which
can be easly detected noninvasively may be also a marker for cardiovascular
diseases. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the relationship between the
retinal findings and coronary artery disease by performing fundoscopic
examination in patients diagnosed with CAD

Methods: This study enrolled 100 patients (72 female, mean age: 59.3±7.1 years)
diagnosed with CAD, along with 100 controls (75 female, mean age: 57.8±8.2
years) who were proved to have normal coronary arteries by coronary
angiography. Bilateral fundoscopic examination was performed in all study
population. Fundoscopic findings and risk factors for CAD were compared between
the groups.

Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of
clinical, demographical and laboratory characteristics of the patients. The
prevalence of atherosclerotic changes was significantly higher in patients with
CAD than controls (87 vs 58 %, p<0.001). Hypertensive retinopathy was
observed more frequently in CAD group as compared to controls (95 vs 60 %,
p<0.001). The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion,
retinal collateral vessels, increased retinal tortuosity, Drusenoid bodies and
Hollenhorst plaques were similar between the groups.

Conclusion: The atherosclerotic and hypertensive retinal findings were more frequently
observed in patients with coronary artery disease. Therefore, fundoscopic
examination may be useful in the evaluation of such patients with coronary
artery disease.

Keywords

Coronary artery disease, fundoscopic examination, atherosclerosis

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