Retinopathy a risk factor for heart failure

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that retinopathy increases the risk of heart failure, even when there are no other obvious risk factors.
Retinopathy is a condition of the retina - the light sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye - which has previously been linked to blood vessel disease. Now researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia, reveal that retinopathy actually predicts heart failure.

They looked at a group of 11,612 subjects all in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study and took photos of the retina to evaluate for retinopathy. The rate of heart failure in the whole group during seven years of follow up was 5.4 per cent. Those with retinopathy had a much higher rate, at 15.1 per cent, than those without where the rate was 4.8 per cent.

When risk factors that might have influenced the association were accounted for, retinopathy still nearly doubled the likelihood of heart failure. In participants with no pre-existing heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, the presence of retinopathy almost trebled the risk of heart failure, Therefore it could be worth screening for heart failure among those who have retinopathy, even if they have no symptoms of heart disease.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 5th January 2005