Relationship between the changes of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and retinal vessel diameter in the middle-aged and elderly: the Kailuan Study

Objective

To investigate the relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and retinal vascular diameter.

Methods

This study was a cross-sectional study, the population was from the Kailuan study (clinical trial research registration NO.: ChiCTR-TNC-1100 1489) in 2012—2013 (age≥40 years). All the people was checked by cardiovascular and epidemiological examination, of which 3 447 people had an analytical results of fundus color photography.The retinal vascular diameter was analyzed by software.Take the value of hsCRP 1% to 99% points and 3 363 people were finally included in the statistical analysis.The mean age of 3 363 people (male 1 880, female 1 483) was 56.69±10.10 years old.The correlation between hsCRP and central retinal artery equivalent(CRAE), central retinal vein equivalent (CRVE), arteriovenous ratio(AVR) were evaluated by Spearman correlation coefficient.Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to futher analyze the association between hsCRP and retinal fundus diameter parameters.

Results

The median value of hsCRP was 1.10(0.50, 2.21)mmo/L, CRAE was (174.16±24.36)μm, CRVE was (282.70±26.32)μm, AVR was 0.62±0.09.Spearman correlation analysis showed that hsCRP was positively correlated with CRVE (r=0.052, P=0.003) and negatively correlated with AVR (r=-0.052, P=0.002). The non-normal variables hsCRP were transformed into continuous variables lghsCRP, and CRAE, CRVE and AVR were used for multivariate linear regression analysis.After a number of factors were gradually corrected, the results showed that association between lghsCRP and CRVE (β=3.428) or AVR (β=-0.006) was statistically significant (P<0.05). LghsCRP was a risk factor for CRVE both in men and women after the calculation of gender stratification.

Conclusions

CRVE increased and AVR decreased with the increase of hsCRP.The changes of retinal vascular diameter may be associated with hsCRP as a marker to predict cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

Central retinal artery equivalent; Central retinal vein equivalent; High-sensitivity C-reactive protein