| Title: | Retinal layer thickness as a potential marker for future cardiovascular events - a UK Biobank cohort study using optical coherence tomography |
| Journal: | Journal of Neurology |
| Published: | 15 Oct 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42878871/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-026-14175-4 |
Publication 21506
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
AimsCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. For CVD prevention, effective screening is needed to identify high-risk individuals. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides a noninvasive, low-cost "quick look" into the brain and has recently shown thinning of certain retinal layers in patients with previous CVD. We explored if OCT-derived retinal layer thicknesses could predict future major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: stroke/myocardial infarction/cardiovascular death).MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, data of 51,293 participants from the UK Biobank were analyzed. We used cause-specific hazard models to evaluate the association of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness with incident MACE, adjusting models for cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and performed subanalyses for association with incident stroke and myocardial infarction.ResultsMedian follow-up time was 14.7 years. Both RNFL thickness (aHR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.96, p < 0.001) and GCIPL thickness (aHR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92-1.00, p = 0.04) were statistically associated with incident MACE in cause-specific hazard models adjusted for CVRF. Interestingly, RNFL thickness was more strongly associated with incident myocardial infarction (aHR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-0.99, p = 0.02) while GCIPL was more strongly associated with incident stroke (aHR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.96, p = 0.003).ConclusionRNFL and GCIPL thicknesses are associated with future MACE, even after adjusting for CVRF. OCT-measured retinal layer thickness could contribute to the assessment of cardiovascular risk.Graphical abstractKey question:Can measurement of retinal layer thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT) improve prediction of incident cardiovascular events?Key finding:Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness are associated with incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). They lead to modest improvements in prediction of MACE when both layers were added to a cause-specific hazard model based on age and sex.Take-home message:Measures of retinal layer thickness using OCT have the potential to improve cardiovascular risk screening.</p>
17 Keywords
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Cohort Studies
- Female
- Follow-Up Studies
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Myocardial Infarction
- Retina
- Retinal Ganglion Cells
- Retrospective Studies
- Stroke
- Tomography, Optical Coherence
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
8 Authors
- Martin Hänsel
- Julian Deseoe
- Lisa Herzog
- Neda Davoudi
- Veronika Kana
- Björn Menze
- Beate Sick
- Susanne Wegener
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 467527 | Multi-modal evaluation of cardiovascular disease burden with a focus on stroke |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health