Evaluation of Fundoscopic Abnormalities in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the world. There has been recent interest to microvasculature changes that are involved in systemic conditions associated with CAD. Retinal microvascular changes which can be easly detected noninvasively may be also a marker for cardiovascular diseases. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the relationship between the retinal findings and coronary artery disease by performing fundoscopic examination in patients diagnosed with CAD Methods: This study enrolled 100 patients (72 female, mean age: 59.3±7.1 years) diagnosed with CAD, along with 100 controls (75 female, mean age: 57.8±8.2 years) who were proved to have normal coronary arteries by coronary angiography. Bilateral fundoscopic examination was performed in all study population. Fundoscopic findings and risk factors for CAD were compared between the groups. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of clinical, demographical and laboratory characteristics of the patients. The prevalence of atherosclerotic changes was significantly higher in patients with CAD than controls (87 vs 58 %, p<0.001). Hypertensive retinopathy was observed more frequently in CAD group as compared to controls (95 vs 60 %, p<0.001). The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, retinal collateral vessels, increased retinal tortuosity, Drusenoid bodies and Hollenhorst plaques were similar between the groups. Conclusion: The atherosclerotic and hypertensive retinal findings were more frequently observed in patients with coronary artery disease. Therefore, fundoscopic examination may be useful in the evaluation of such patients with coronary artery disease.