Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the difference in ocular and systemic endothelial function between healthy individuals of White-European (WE) and South-Asian (SA) descendency.
Methods: :
Healthy participants of White-European (n=45, mean age 37.6 ± 10.2) and South-Asian (n=45, mean age 34.5 ± 10) origin were recruited for the present research. Retinal vessel reactivity was assessed using the Retinal Vessel Analyser (RVA, Imedos GmBH, Jena). In addition, systemic endothelial function was assessed by using the flow mediated dilation (FMD) technique. Serum levels of glucose, triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol were measured and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was also performed on all subjects.
Results: :
The SA subjects demonstrated significantly higher serum levels of triglycerides (p= 0.001) and lower levels of HDL cholesterol (p= 0.007) as compared to the WE group. In addition, the maximum retinal arterial dilation time in response to flicker stimulation was significantly slower in SAs than in WEs (19.98 ± 6.86 secs versus 16.17 ± 10.85 secs, p=0.04). Arterial dilation time correlated significantly with the level of TG (r= 0.40 p= 0.01) in SAs but not in WEs.
Conclusions: :
Healthy, young SAs are at a higher risk of developing vascular dysfunction and possible atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease than age-matched WEs. These signs can be quickly detected by observations of the retinal vascular function. Larger screening programmes to use this method in populations at higher risk for vascular disease and/or diabetes are, therefore, necessary.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • diabetes • retina