Introduction
cardiovascular disease, CRAE, stroke, cardio- and cerebro-vascular diseases, OSA, hypertension, CRVE, diabetes
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, STROKE, CORONARY HEART DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, DIABETES
A number of studies have suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases risk for cardio- and cerebro-vascular diseases, including hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke [There is one microvascular bed that can be readily and non-invasively accessed in clinical settings by using digital photography to provide qualitative and quantitative assessment of the retinal microcirculation [Large population-based studies have reported that relative narrowing of retinal arteriolar calibre, and/or widening of retinal venular calibre, carries predictive significance for hypertension, stroke and coronary heart disease [The aim of the present study was to conduct a cross-sectional descriptive study to determine relationships between the morphology of the retinal microvascular bed and OSA severity in a sleep clinic cohort from which the potentially confounding influence of diabetes, a known cardio-vascular risk factor, was excluded. The primary analysis focused on cross-sectional associations between CRAE and CRVE with OSA severity metrics, and included examination of relationships with overnight change (if any) in retinal vessel diameters. In addition, we undertook a 12 month Risk Factor Minimisation/CPAP (RFM/CPAP) sub-group study aimed at evaluating whether stabilising known cardiovascular disease risk factors, while concurrently treating OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), modified retinal vessel size.