Association between arterial stiffness and choroidal vascular in type 2 diabetes: more pronounced in individuals aged 30 to 50 years.
To investigate the association between systemic arterial stiffness and choroidal vascular parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
This study includes 177 eyes from 95 patients with T2D underwent clinical assessment and wide-field OCTA imaging (24 × 20 mm, TowardPi BMizar). Vascular density in superficial capillary plexus, choriocapillaris, and Sattler's and Haller's layers, and three-dimensional choroidal parameters, including choroidal vessel volume (CVV), stromal volume (CSV), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI), were acquired based on a 12 × 12 mm fovea-centered grid. Systemic arterial stiffness was assessed using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Associations were analyzed using correlation and regression models, including age-adjusted and age-stratified models.
CVV and CSV showed significant negative correlations with age (p < 0.05) and baPWV (p < 0.05 in all regions except the central-nasal area). These reduction patterns were not observed in two-dimensional vascular parameters. These correlations lost statistical significance after adjusting for age. The age-stratified analysis revealed that baPWV was linear negatively associated with CVV and CSV in patients aged 30-50 years (p < 0.05 in most regions except the superior-temporal area), with maximum coefficients of - 0.14 and - 0.25, respectively.
CVV and CSV are associated with systemic arterial stiffness in patients with T2D, particularly among those aged 30-50 years, indicating that choroidal parameters can serve as valuable biomarkers of systemic vascular health.
This study includes 177 eyes from 95 patients with T2D underwent clinical assessment and wide-field OCTA imaging (24 × 20 mm, TowardPi BMizar). Vascular density in superficial capillary plexus, choriocapillaris, and Sattler's and Haller's layers, and three-dimensional choroidal parameters, including choroidal vessel volume (CVV), stromal volume (CSV), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI), were acquired based on a 12 × 12 mm fovea-centered grid. Systemic arterial stiffness was assessed using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Associations were analyzed using correlation and regression models, including age-adjusted and age-stratified models.
CVV and CSV showed significant negative correlations with age (p < 0.05) and baPWV (p < 0.05 in all regions except the central-nasal area). These reduction patterns were not observed in two-dimensional vascular parameters. These correlations lost statistical significance after adjusting for age. The age-stratified analysis revealed that baPWV was linear negatively associated with CVV and CSV in patients aged 30-50 years (p < 0.05 in most regions except the superior-temporal area), with maximum coefficients of - 0.14 and - 0.25, respectively.
CVV and CSV are associated with systemic arterial stiffness in patients with T2D, particularly among those aged 30-50 years, indicating that choroidal parameters can serve as valuable biomarkers of systemic vascular health.
Authors
Wang Wang, Wang Wang, Shi Shi, Si Si, Zhang Zhang, Chen Chen, Wang Wang, Xu Xu, Xiao Xiao, Hu Hu
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