The effect of calcium channel blocker (CCB) treatment on retinal and choroidal vessels in a group of hypertensive patients

Abstract

Purpose The present study was designed to observe the vasoreactivity in retina and choroid after calcium channel blocker (CCB) treatment in a group of hypertensive patients. Method The study was based on 56 hypertensive patients (56 eyes) and 56 control subjects (56 eyes). Choroidal scans and the measurement of peripapillary retinal vessel diameters was performed at baseline and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans were also performed at first month . Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and the diameters of superior temporal artery (STA), inferior temporal artery (ITA), superior temporal vein (STV), inferior temporal vein (ITV) were compared between the groups. Results The baseline diameters of the STA, ITA were significantly decreased in the patient group compared with the control group (all p .05). The average choroidal thickness measurements of the hypertensive group was lower than the control group (p = .404) and there was a tendency to increase after the treatment (p = .055). Conclusion This study demonstrates that, treatment with CCB seems to improve retinal arteries and has almost no affect on the choroidal thickness in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients.

Keywords

• calcium channel blocker
• choroidal thickness
• retinal vessel diameter
• systemic hypertension
• optical coherence tomography