School of Medicine Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-4-2020
Abstract
Background
Prematurity disrupts the perinatal maturation of the microvasculature and macrovasculature and confers high risk of vascular dysfunction later in life. No previous studies have investigated the crosstalk between the microvasculature and macrovasculature in childhood.
Methods and Results
In a case‐control study, we enrolled 55 children aged 11 years weighing <1000 g at birth and 71 matched controls (October 2014–November 2015). We derived central blood pressure (BP) wave by applanation tonometry and calculated the forward/backward pulse waves by an automated pressure–based wave separation algorithm. We measured the renal resistive index by pulsed wave Doppler and the central retinal arteriolar equivalent by computer‐assisted program software. Compared with controls, patients had higher central systolic BP (101.5 versus 95.2 mm Hg, P<0.001) and backward wave amplitude (15.5 versus 14.2 mm Hg, P=0.029), and smaller central retinal arteriolar equivalent (163.2 versus 175.4 µm, P<0.001). In multivariable analyses, central retinal arteriolar equivalent was smaller with higher values (+1 SD) of central systolic BP (−2.94 µm; 95% CI, −5.18 to −0.70 µm [P=0.011]) and forward (−2.57 µm; CI, −4.81 to −0.32 µm [P=0.026]) and backward (−3.20 µm; CI, −5.47 to −0.94 µm [P=0.006]) wave amplitudes. Greater renal resistive index was associated with higher backward wave amplitude (0.92 mm Hg, P=0.036).
Conclusions
In childhood, prematurity compared with term birth is associated with higher central systolic BP and forward/backward wave amplitudes. Higher renal resistive index likely moves reflection points closer to the heart, thereby explaining the inverse association of central retinal arteriolar equivalent with central systolic BP and backward wave amplitude. These observations highlight the crosstalk between the microcirculation and macrocirculation in children.
Registration
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT02147457.
Recommended Citation
Wei, F. F., Raaijmakers, A., Melgarejo, J. D., Cauwenberghs, N., Thijs, L., Zhang, Z. Y., Yu, C. G., Levtchenko, E., Struijker-Boudier, H. A. J., Yang, W. Y., Kuznetsova, T., Kennedy, S., Verhamme, P., Allegaert, K., & Staessen, J. A. (2020). Retinal and Renal Microvasculature in Relation to Central Hemodynamics in 11-Year-Old Children Born Preterm or At Term. Journal of the American Heart Association, 9(15), e014305. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.014305
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Journal of the American Heart Association
DOI
10.1161/JAHA.119.014305
Academic Level
faculty
Mentor/PI Department
Neuroscience
Comments
© 2020 The Authors.