Retinal Structural Changes in Systemic Arterial Hypertension: An OCT Study

Purpose To assess retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), and macular thickness changes in young adults with systemic arterial hypertension. Methods This study included 80 young patients (age 23.8 ± 2.8 years) with systemic hypertension (sHT) without any known systemic or ocular disease and 80 age-matched (23.5 ± 2.1 years) healthy controls. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, macular thickness, and GCC thickness were measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Results Mean disease duration was 3.45 ± 1.48 years (range 2-10). Differences in intraocular pressure, body mass index, axial length, and spherical equivalent between the groups were insignificant (p>0.05). The differences in RNFL thickness did not differ between the groups. Patients with sHT had significantly lower central macular thickness (p = 0.037), inner superior macular thickness (p = 0.045), and outer temporal superior and outer temporal inferior GCC (p0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly correlated with inner temporal superior and inner temporal inferior GCC thickness in a negative manner (p