Eye scans reveal heart disease risk at an early age

According to study lead Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath, the paper, published in Nature Scientific Reports, is the first to donstrate an independent link between poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and changes to the retinal blood vessels.“Poor wellbeing and certain structural changes to the retina are both associated with an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease, but few studies have explored the link between the two,” Gopinath explained.{{quote-a:r-w:450-I:2-Q:“Our research and those of others over the years indicates that the subtle changes to retinal blood vessels could be promising indicators of a future risk of cardiovascular disease.”-WHO: Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath, study lead}}“We found that adolescents – particularly males – with poorer health-related quality of life had wider arteriolar and narrower venular blood vessels in the retina. These particular changes are possible indicators for future cardiovascular disease risk.“Importantly, we found that health-related quality of life measures were independently linked to the structural changes we observed. This means the changes will still occur, even if no traditional risk factors, such as higher body mass and blood pressure, are present,” she added.The Westmead Institute for Medical Research study analysed the retinal blood vessels of 1,600 students aged 11–19 via scans taken over two years between 2009 and 2011. The students also completed a Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory questionnaire to determine their HRQoL, and when compared the results indicated that retinal blood vessels narrowed by around 0.05μm for every one-point increase in a person’s HRQoL.“Our research and those of others over the years indicates that the subtle changes to retinal blood vessels could be promising indicators of a future risk of cardiovascular disease,” she said.“Cardiovascular disease is one of Australia’s biggest killers, and we know a lot about the risk factors that can cause it. Our findings suggest that in the future, health-related quality of life assessments could also be used to improve or add to existing evaluations of adolescent cardiovascular health.”According to the Heart Foundation, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australia, with around one person dying from the disease every 12 minutes.More reading: The full study.Image Courtesy: Freepik | pressfoto