Blood pressure and retinal arteriolar narrowing in children

Abstract

Retinal arteriolar narrowing is a known response of hypertension and independently predicts cardiovascular mortality in adults. Whether elevated blood pressure leads to retinal arteriolar narrowing in young children is unknown. We examined the relationship of retinal vascular caliber and blood pressure levels in 2 population-based cohorts among children aged 6 to 8 years in Sydney, Australia (1572 children) and Singapore (380 children). Participants had digital retinal photographs and measurement of retinal arteriolar (or small artery) and venular (or small vein) caliber. Children with higher quartiles of blood pressure had significantly narrower retinal arterioles than those with lower bloo..