Effect of Irbesartan on Endothelial Function of the Retinal Vasculature in Patients With Hypercholesterolemia

Summary

The retinal vasculature is morphologically and functionally related to the cerebral vessels due to its common origin from the internal carotid artery. A recent study demonstrated that endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the retinal vasculature is impaired in patients with essential hypertension, which is a strong risk factor for stroke. Furthermore, AT1-receptor blockade was demonstrated to improve retinal endothelium-dependent vasodilation in these hypertensive patients. Hypercholesterolemia is also a risk factor for ischemic stroke and impairment of endothelial function has been observed in various vascular beds in hypercholesterolemic patients, including the coronary and the forearm vasculature. Whether endothelial function of the retinal vasculature is impaired in patients with hypercholesterolemia has not yet been investigated. In patients with stroke, AT1-receptor blockade and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition have beneficial effects on clinical outcome. Alterations of endothelial function of the cerebral vasculature might be one pathogenetic factor for the beneficial clinical outcome. To further address this issue, the present study was designed to test the hypothesis that endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the retinal vasculature is impaired in hypercholesterolemic patients and that endothelial function can be improved by AT1-receptor blockade.

Timeline

Start

2009-11

Primary completion

2009-12

Completion

2009-12

Publications

• Kannenkeril D, Bosch A, Harazny J, Karg M, Jung S, Ott C, Schmieder RE. Early vascular parameters in the micro- and macrocirculation in type 2 diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2018 Sep 19;17(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s12933-018-0770-4.
• Bosch AJ, Harazny JM, Kistner I, Friedrich S, Wojtkiewicz J, Schmieder RE. Retinal capillary rarefaction in patients with untreated mild-moderate hypertension. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2017 Dec 21;17(1):300. doi: 10.1186/s12872-017-0732-x.
• Jumar A, Harazny JM, Ott C, Kistner I, Friedrich S, Schmieder RE. Improvement in Retinal Capillary Rarefaction After Valsartan Treatment in Hypertensive Patients. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2016 Nov;18(11):1112-1118. doi: 10.1111/jch.12851. Epub 2016 Jun 16.

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Indications