The retinal vascular pattern is not only related to eye health, but also an important indicator of cardiovascular health. Compared with other parts of the body, the blood vessels on the retina can be easily seen through fundus photography (Retinal imaging). Many researchers hope to obtain more information related to the state of the body through the “window” of the eyes.
In past studies, scientists have foundretinaThe shape and size of the blood vessels, andhypertensionheart disease, diabetes and obesity and other health conditions are linked, the University of London St George’s (St George’s, University of London) team recently further identified 119 genomic regions associated with the shape of blood vessels in the fundus and found that they are associated with high blood pressure , features associated with heart disease risk.
The degree of twisting of the retinal arteries was the strongest genetic signature
In order to further explore the relationship between retinal vascular structural characteristics and genetics, the St. George’s team at the University of London examined the retinal images of nearly 53,000 people in the UK Biobank, and automatically and quickly analyzed the characteristics of the images through AI technology. Personnel can distinguish arteries and veins, and grasp the width of blood vessels and the degree of twisting and twisting.
The team then used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to perform DNA similarity analysis on populations in which vascular characteristics were similar, as well as 5,000 people participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Norfolk) ophthalmology study images for the same review.
When compared with biobank data, the researchers were able to identify 119 distinct regions associated with retinal vascular characteristics, 17 of which were associated with venule tortuosity, 11 with venule width, 2 with arteriole width, and venule width. Arterial twisting was associated with up to 89 regions, showing that the degree of twisting and twisting of retinal arteries was the strongest genetic feature.
Distorted retinal arteries associated with increased diastolic blood pressure
Upon further examination, the researchers also found that while it was thought that high blood pressure might be causing the twisted arteries, the opposite may actually be the case. Through Mendelian randomization analysis, the team was able to demonstrate for the first time a causal relationship between retinal artery distortion and elevated diastolic blood pressure, a potential cause of heart disease. This provides unique insight into the mechanism of hypertension and also provides a new therapeutic target for future treatment.
Study author Professor Christopher Owen, head of chronic disease epidemiology at St George’s, University of London, believes fundus photography has become a staple of commercial optometrists, and using AI to analyze retinal images to confirm health could easily be done as part of routine health checks , this type of genetic information is an important piece of the puzzle that helps researchers understand the puzzle and will also pave the way for new treatments in the future.
Further reading: The new CT anti-hypertension can detect the common adrenal nodules that cause hypertension in just 10 minutes!
References:
1. PLOS Genetics2023, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010583
2. https://www.sgul.ac.uk/news/ai-finds-twisting-of-eye-vessels-could-cause-high-blood-pressure-and-heart-disease
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