Impaired brachial flow-mediated dilation may predict choroidal and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness changes in people with obesity

ABSTRACT

Clinical relevance

Choroidal thickness and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) changes are known to occur in obesity. Endothelial dysfunction and systemic atherosclerosis may play a role in the pathophysiology of these differences.

Background

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is reduced in patients with endothelial dysfunction, and the ankle-brachial index is a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between systemic vascular parameters (FMD, and ankle-brachial index), subfoveal choroidal thickness, and peripapillary RNFL thickness in obese individuals.

Methods

This observational, cross-sectional study involved 108 total participants who were divided into two groups. One group consisted of 54 obese subjects who each had a body mass index of 30 kg/m² or more. The other control group contained 54 participants who each had a body mass index of 25 kg/m² or less but higher than 20 kg/m² . For each participant, only one eye was examined in this study. Subfoveal choroidal thickness, RNFL thickness, ankle-brachial index, and ultrasound measurement of the brachial artery FMD were performed. FMD was categorised according to receiver operating characteristic analysis, and endothelial dysfunction was defined as an FMD ≤ 7.29%.

Results

Subfoveal choroidal and RNFL thicknesses in the temporal quadrant were significantly lower in the obese group (p < 0.05). Lower mean values of subfoveal choroidal and RNFL thicknesses in the temporal and inferior quadrants were observed in subjects with an FMD ≤ 7.29% (p < 0.05). In people with obesity, FMD was positively correlated with subfoveal choroidal thickness (r = 0.322, p = 0.001), inferior RNFL thickness (r = 0.259, p = 0.007), and temporal RNFL thickness (r = 0.297, p = 0.002). However, the ankle-brachial index was not correlated with obesity.

Conclusions

Impaired FMD was associated with reduced subfoveal choroidal and RNFL thicknesses in the temporal and inferior quadrants of people with obesity.

KEYWORDS:

• Ankle-brachial index
• flow-mediated dilation
• obesity
• retinal nerve fibre layer
• subfoveal choroidal thickness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors indicate no financial support or financial conflict of interest.