Associations of retinal microvascular caliber with intermediate phenotypes of large arterial function and structure: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Intermediate phenotypes of microcirculation (retinal microvascular caliber) are associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and independently predict CV events. However, the effect of microcirculation variation on the vascular system is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to quantify associations of retinal microvascular caliber (arteriolar, venular caliber, arteriole-to-venule ratio) and preclinical CV measures (large arterial function and structure). METHODS: We identified studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed (1946 to March 2018) studying (a) general population samples and (b) patients with cardiometabolic disease. Study-sp..