EARLY MANIFESTATIONS OF HYPERTENSIVE ANGIOCHORIORETINOPATHY IN TEENAGERS WITH ESSENTIAL ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Purpose. To identify early signs of hypertensive angiochorioretinopathy in patients with arterial hypertension at the child and adolescent age.Material and methods. The ophthalmological examination was performed with a profound study of regional hemodynamics, layer-by-layer structure of the retina, its electrical sensitivity and neuroconductivity of 20 males (40 eyes) aged 10-17 years with the experience of arterial hypertension less than one year. As a control group 18 healthy individuals (36 eyes) of the corresponding sex and age were examined.Results. The study found a reduction of blood flow velocity in the central retinal artery, and the posterior short ciliary arteries on average by 26%, an increase of the resistance index by 11% and a decrease of pulse index by 30% in these vessels. There were noted a significant reduction of oscillatory index in 3 times, components of the pattern ERG P 50 amplitude by 57.9%, N 95 by 40.3%, a mixed and high-frequency ERG by 35 and 59% respectively compared with the control group. All abovementioned changes characterized the eye as an target organ already in the early stages of hypertensive disease i n children and teenagers.Conclusions. The use of modern high-informative up-to-date diagnostic methods of the study allows revealing the early pre-clinical manifestations of hypertensive angiochorioretinopathy in children and teenagers with essential arterial hypertension, the most important of which are a reduction of oscillator index and a disturbance of regional hemodynamics mainly in central retinal arteries and posterior short ciliary arteries. The revealed disturbances allow characterizing the eye as a ≪target organ≫ in patients with elevated arterial pressure already in the early stages of essential arterial hypertension.

Keywords

• arterial hypertension
• angiochorioretinopathy
• teenagers