Hypertensive retinopathy

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Hypertensive retinopathy
Hypertensiveretinopathy.jpg
Hypertensive retinopathy with AV nicking and mild vascular tortuosity
Specialty Synonyms = Latin: Fundus hypertonicus

Hypertensive retinopathy is damage to the retina and retinal circulation due to high blood pressure (i.e. hypertension).

Contents

Signs and symptoms

Most patients with hypertensive retinopathy have no symptoms. However, some may report decreased or blurred vision, [1] and headaches. [2]

Signs

Signs of damage to the retina caused by hypertension include:[ citation needed ]

Laser Doppler imaging of the papilla of a patient with hypertension Doppler laser imaging of the papilla of a patient with hypertension.gif
Laser Doppler imaging of the papilla of a patient with hypertension

Mild signs of hypertensive retinopathy can be seen quite frequently in normal people (3–14% of adult individuals aged ≥40 years), even without hypertension. [4] Hypertensive retinopathy is commonly considered a diagnostic feature of a hypertensive emergency although it is not invariably present. [5]

Pathophysiology

The changes in hypertensive retinopathy result from damage and adaptive changes in the arterial and arteriolar circulation in response to the high blood pressure. [1]

Diagnosis

Fundoscopy and patients history.

Differential Diagnoses

Several other diseases can result in retinopathy that can be confused with hypertensive retinopathy. These include diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy due to autoimmune disease, anemia, radiation retinopathy, and central retinal vein occlusion. [2]

Keith Wagener Barker (KWB) Grades

Grade 1
Vascular Attenuation
Grade 2
As grade 1 + Irregularly located, tight constrictions – Known as "AV nicking" or "AV nipping" – Salus's sign
Grade 3
As grade 2 + Retinal edema, cotton wool spots and flame-hemorrhages "Copper Wiring" + Bonnet's Sign + Gunn's Sign
Grade 4
As grade 3 + optic disc edema + macular star "Silver Wiring"

There is an association between the grade of retinopathy and mortality. In a classic study in 1939 Keith and colleagues [6] described the prognosis of people with differing severity of retinopathy. They showed 70% of those with grade 1 retinopathy were alive after 3 years whereas only 6% of those with grade 4 survived. The most widely used modern classification system bears their name. [4] The role of retinopathy grading in risk stratification is debated, but it has been proposed that individuals with signs of hypertensive retinopathy signs, especially retinal hemorrhages, microaneurysms and cotton-wool spots, should be assessed carefully. [4]

Management

A major aim of treatment is to prevent, limit, or reverse target organ damage by lowering the person's high blood pressure to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Treatment with antihypertensive medications may be required to control the high blood pressure.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retinopathy</span> Damage to the retina of the eyes

Retinopathy is any damage to the retina of the eyes, which may cause vision impairment. Retinopathy often refers to retinal vascular disease, or damage to the retina caused by abnormal blood flow. Age-related macular degeneration is technically included under the umbrella term retinopathy but is often discussed as a separate entity. Retinopathy, or retinal vascular disease, can be broadly categorized into proliferative and non-proliferative types. Frequently, retinopathy is an ocular manifestation of systemic disease as seen in diabetes or hypertension. Diabetes is the most common cause of retinopathy in the U.S. as of 2008. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged people. It accounts for about 5% of blindness worldwide and is designated a priority eye disease by the World Health Organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diabetic retinopathy</span> Diabetes-induced damage to the retina of the eye

Diabetic retinopathy, is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes. It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitrectomy</span> Surgery to remove vitreous humor from the eye

Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove some or all of the vitreous humor from the eye.

This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypertensive emergency</span> Very high blood pressure and signs of organ damage

A hypertensive emergency is very high blood pressure with potentially life-threatening symptoms and signs of acute damage to one or more organ systems. It is different from a hypertensive urgency by this additional evidence for impending irreversible hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD). Blood pressure is often above 200/120 mmHg, however there are no universally accepted cutoff values.

Severely elevated blood pressure is referred to as a hypertensive crisis, due to the high risk of complications. People with blood pressures in this range may have no symptoms, but are more likely to report headaches and dizziness than the general population. Other symptoms accompanying a hypertensive crisis may include visual deterioration due to retinopathy, breathlessness due to heart failure, or a general feeling of malaise due to kidney failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arteriolosclerosis</span> Medical condition

Arteriolosclerosis is a form of cardiovascular disease involving hardening and loss of elasticity of arterioles or small arteries and is most often associated with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Types include hyaline arteriolosclerosis and hyperplastic arteriolosclerosis, both involved with vessel wall thickening and luminal narrowing that may cause downstream ischemic injury. The following two terms whilst similar, are distinct in both spelling and meaning and may easily be confused with arteriolosclerosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coats' disease</span> Human eye disease causing full or partial blindness

Coats' disease is a rare congenital, nonhereditary eye disorder, causing full or partial blindness, characterized by abnormal development of blood vessels behind the retina. Coats' disease can also fall under glaucoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fundus (eye)</span> Concave interior of the eye

The fundus of the eye is the interior surface of the eye opposite the lens and includes the retina, optic disc, macula, fovea, and posterior pole. The fundus can be examined by ophthalmoscopy and/or fundus photography.

Ocular ischemic syndrome is the constellation of ocular signs and symptoms secondary to severe, chronic arterial hypoperfusion to the eye. Amaurosis fugax is a form of acute vision loss caused by reduced blood flow to the eye; it may be a warning sign of an impending stroke, as both stroke and retinal artery occlusion can be caused by thromboembolism due to atherosclerosis elsewhere in the body. Consequently, those with transient blurring of vision are advised to urgently seek medical attention for a thorough evaluation of the carotid artery. Anterior segment ischemic syndrome is a similar ischemic condition of anterior segment usually seen in post-surgical cases. Retinal artery occlusion leads to rapid death of retinal cells, thereby resulting in severe loss of vision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optic disc drusen</span> Medical condition

Optic disc drusen (ODD) are globules of mucoproteins and mucopolysaccharides that progressively calcify in the optic disc. They are thought to be the remnants of the axonal transport system of degenerated retinal ganglion cells. ODD have also been referred to as congenitally elevated or anomalous discs, pseudopapilledema, pseudoneuritis, buried disc drusen, and disc hyaline bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotton wool spots</span> Medical condition of the eye

Cotton wool spots are opaque fluffy white patches on the retina of the eye that are considered an abnormal finding during a funduscopic exam. Cotton wool spots are typically a sign of another disease state, most common of which is diabetic retinopathy. The irregularly shaped white patches are a result of ischemia, or reduced blood flow and oxygen, in the retinal nerve fiber layer, which is located in the distribution of the capillaries of the superficial layer of the retina. These areas with reduced blood flow reflect the obstruction of axoplasmic flow due to mechanical or vascular causes and the consequential accumulation as a result of decreased axonal transport. This reduced axonal transport can then cause swelling or bulging on the surface layer of the retina, increasing the potential for nerve fiber damage.

Charcot–Bouchard aneurysms are aneurysms of the brain vasculature which occur in small blood vessels. Charcot–Bouchard aneurysms are most often located in the lenticulostriate vessels of the basal ganglia and are associated with chronic hypertension. Charcot–Bouchard aneurysms are a common cause of cerebral hemorrhage. Charcot–Bouchard aneurysm rupture might be linked to senile plaque formation in the Alzheimer's disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fundus photography</span> Medical imaging of the eyes

Fundus photography involves photographing the rear of an eye, also known as the fundus. Specialized fundus cameras consisting of an intricate microscope attached to a flash enabled camera are used in fundus photography. The main structures that can be visualized on a fundus photo are the central and peripheral retina, optic disc and macula. Fundus photography can be performed with colored filters, or with specialized dyes including fluorescein and indocyanine green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intraocular hemorrhage</span> Medical condition

Intraocular hemorrhage is bleeding inside the eye. Bleeding can occur from any structure of the eye where there is vasculature or blood flow, including the anterior chamber, vitreous cavity, retina, choroid, suprachoroidal space, or optic disc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macular telangiectasia</span> Disease of the retina affecting central vision

Macular telangiectasia is a condition of the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye that causes gradual deterioration of central vision, interfering with tasks such as reading and driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Complications of hypertension</span>

Complications of hypertension are clinical outcomes that result from persistent elevation of blood pressure. Hypertension is a risk factor for all clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis since it is a risk factor for atherosclerosis itself. It is an independent predisposing factor for heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke, kidney disease, and peripheral arterial disease. It is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, in industrialized countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiation retinopathy</span> Medical condition

Radiation retinopathy is damage to retina due to exposure to ionizing radiation. Radiation retinopathy has a delayed onset, typically after months or years of radiation, and is slowly progressive. In general, radiation retinopathy is seen around 18 months after treatment with external-beam radiation and with brachytherapy. The time of onset of radiation retinopathy is between 6 months to 3 years.

Sickle cell retinopathy can be defined as retinal changes due to blood vessel damage in the eye of a person with a background of sickle cell disease. It can likely progress to loss of vision in late stages due to vitreous hemorrhage or retinal detachment. Sickle cell disease is a structural red blood cell disorder leading to consequences in multiple systems. It is characterized by chronic red blood cell destruction, vascular injury, and tissue ischemia causing damage to the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, and musculoskeletal system.

Drug abuse retinopathy is damage to the retina of the eyes caused by chronic drug abuse. Types of retinopathy caused by drug abuse include maculopathy, Saturday night retinopathy, and talc retinopathy. Common symptoms include temporary and permanent vision loss, blurred vision, and night blindness. Substances commonly associated with this condition include poppers, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, tobacco, and alcohol.

References

  1. 1 2 Bhargava, M; Ikram, M K; Wong, T Y (2011). "How does hypertension affect your eyes?". Journal of Human Hypertension. 26 (2): 71–83. doi:10.1038/jhh.2011.37. PMID   21509040.
  2. 1 2 Yanoff, Myron; Duker, Jay S. (2009-01-01). Ophthalmology. Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN   978-0323043328.
  3. Puyo, Léo, Michel Paques, Mathias Fink, José-Alain Sahel, and Michael Atlan. "Waveform analysis of human retinal and choroidal blood flow with laser Doppler holography." Biomedical Optics Express 10, no. 10 (2019): 4942-4963.
  4. 1 2 3 Wong TY, Mcintosh R (2005). "Hypertensive retinopathy signs as risk indicators of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality". British Medical Bulletin. 73–74: 57–70. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldh050 . PMID   16148191.
  5. Cremer, A.; Amraoui, F.; Lip, G. Y. H.; Morales, E.; Rubin, S.; Segura, J.; Van den Born, B. J.; Gosse, P. (2016-08-01). "From malignant hypertension to hypertension-MOD: a modern definition for an old but still dangerous emergency". Journal of Human Hypertension. 30 (8): 463–466. doi:10.1038/jhh.2015.112. ISSN   0950-9240. PMID   26582411. S2CID   205167912.
  6. Keith NM, Wagener HP, Barker NW (1939) Some different types of essential hypertension: their course and prognosis. Am J Med Sci, 197, 332–43.

Further reading