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Effects of Rosuvastatin and Aspirin on Retinal Vascular Structures in Hypercholesterolemic Patients with Low-to-Moderate Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

  • Original Research Article
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American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Atherosclerosis erodes large elastic arteries and damages peripheral small vessels. Evaluating retinal vessel caliber enables exploration of the effect of improving microcirculation with statins.

Objective

We investigated whether rosuvastatin therapy improves retinal vasculature in hypercholesterolemic patients with a low-to-moderate risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

This was a prospective, open-label, randomized study in which 127 patients were enrolled and randomized (ratio 1:1) into rosuvastatin and control groups.

Results

Rosuvastatin increased retinal arteriolar calibers by 3.560 µm at 12 months, decreased retinal venular calibers by 3.110 µm at 6 months and by 5.860 µm at 12 months, and increased the artery–vein ratio (AVR) by 2.68% at 6 months and by 5.90% at 12 months. Meanwhile, in the control group, retinal arteriolar calibers decreased by 1.110 µm at 12 months, retinal venular calibers increased by 1.020 µm at 6 months and by 1.04 µm at 12 months, and AVR decreased by 1.12% at 6 months and by 1.73% at 12 months. All the above parameters were statistically significant between groups, but there was no significant change in retinal arteriolar calibers at 6 months. The increased AVR correlated significantly with decreased C-reactive protein (CRP) at 6 months and decreased low-density lipoprotein and CRP at 12 months.

Discussion

For patients with a low-to-moderate risk of CAD, we found a significant effect of rosuvastatin on retinal microvasculature, including AVR increase, venular constriction, and arteriolar dilation after 6–12 months of treatment.

Clinical Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier number ChiCTR-IOR-15006664.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Miss Haiyan Wang for help in the preparation of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.1, Dong Jiao Min Xiang, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, 100730, China

    Li Li, Ying Bai & Changsheng Ma

  2. Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Scienses, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Shuang Wang

  3. Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Huilian Huang

  4. Department of Ophthalmology, People’s Eye Institute, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China

    Yi Cai

  5. Texas Heart Institute, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Yutao Xi

  6. Cardiology Department, Atrial Fibrillation Center, Beijing An Zhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, An Ding Men Wai, An Zhen Li, Chao Yang District, Beijing, 100029, China

    Changsheng Ma

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  1. Li Li
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Li Li or Changsheng Ma.

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Funding

This study was funded by AstraZeneca (ISSCRES0178).

Conflicts of interest

Li Li, Shuang Wang, Huilian Huang, Yi Cai, Yutao Xi, Ying Bai, and Changsheng Ma have no potential conflicts of interest that might be relevant to the contents of this manuscript.

Ethical approval

The study protocol conformed to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki as reflected in prior approval by the institution’s human research committee. Approved protocols and informed consent forms were reviewed and approved by the institutional ethics committee of Beijing Tong Ren Hospital of Capital Medical University. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-15006664).

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Li, L., Wang, S., Huang, H. et al. Effects of Rosuvastatin and Aspirin on Retinal Vascular Structures in Hypercholesterolemic Patients with Low-to-Moderate Risk of Coronary Artery Disease. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 19, 415–420 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40256-019-00330-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40256-019-00330-y

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