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Retinal Arterial Hypertrophy: the New LVH?

  • Therapeutic Trials (G Mancia, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Prevention of target organ damage represents the El Dorado for clinicians who treat hypertension. Although many of the cardiovascular sequelae of chronic hypertension are due to large artery atherosclerosis, an equal number are due to small artery dysfunction. These microvascular complications include eye disease (retinopathy), kidney failure, diastolic dysfunction of the heart and small vessel brain disease leading to stroke syndromes, dementia and even depression. Examination of the retinal vasculature represents the only way to reliably derive information regarding small arteries responsible for these diverse pathologies. This review aims to summarise the rapidly accruing evidence indicating that easily observable abnormalities of retinal arteries reflect target organ damage elsewhere in the body of hypertensive patients. In tandem, we also present putative mechanisms by which hypertension and diabetes fundamentally change small artery structure and function and how these processes may lead to target organ damage.

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Conflict of Interest

K. Khavandi declares that he has no conflict of interest.

M. Arunakirinathan declares that she has no conflict of interest.

A.S. Greenstein declares that he has no conflict of interest.

A.M. Heagerty declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, Department of Cardiology, St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London, London, UK

    Kaivan Khavandi

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College Academic Health Sciences Centre, London, UK

    Meena Arunakirinathan

  3. Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Adam S. Greenstein & Anthony M. Heagerty

  4. Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Core Technology Facility (3rd floor), University of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK

    Adam S. Greenstein

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  1. Kaivan Khavandi
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  2. Meena Arunakirinathan
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  3. Adam S. Greenstein
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  4. Anthony M. Heagerty
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Correspondence to Adam S. Greenstein.

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Khavandi, K., Arunakirinathan, M., Greenstein, A.S. et al. Retinal Arterial Hypertrophy: the New LVH?. Curr Hypertens Rep 15, 244–252 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-013-0347-2

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