Retinal Microvascular Signs as Screening and Prognostic Factors for Cardiac Disease: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence

Raviv Allon, Michael Aronov*, Michael Belkin, Elad Maor, Michael Shechter, Ido Didi Fabian

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

The substantial burden of heart disease promotes an interest in new ways of screening for early disease diagnosis, especially by means of noninvasive imaging. Increasing evidence for association between retinal microvascular signs and heart disease prompted us to systematically investigate the relevant current literature on the subject. We scrutinized the current literature by searching PubMed and Embase databases from 2000 to 2020 for clinical studies of the association between retinal microvascular signs and prevalent or incident heart disease in humans. Following exclusions, we extracted the relevant data from 42 publications (comprising 14 prospective, 26 cross-sectional, and 2 retrospective studies). Our search yielded significant associations between retinal vascular changes, including diameter, tortuosity, and branching, and various cardiac diseases, including acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and conduction abnormalities. The findings of our research suggest that the retinal microvasculature can provide essential data about concurrent cardiac disease status and predict future risk of cardiac-related events.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)36-47.e7
JournalAmerican Journal of Medicine
Volume134
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2021

Funding

FundersFunder number
SPRING Biomed Vision Ltd., Haifa, Israel

    Keywords

    • Acute coronary syndrome
    • Coronary artery disease
    • Fundus photography
    • Heart failure
    • Retinal vascular diameter

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