AIM: To investigate the effect of retinal vascular diameter on arterial stiffness of the participants stratified by age.

METHODS: Participants who took part in the 2014(fourth)physical examination and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity(baPWV)and fundus color photography were observed. According to the WHO criteria of age, participants were divided into 3 groups by age: 18-44 years old group, 45-59 years old group and above 60 years old group. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the association between central retinal artery equivalent(CRAE)and arteriole-to-venule ratio(AVR)with baPWV in the total participants and then stratified by age. Multivariate Logistic regression model was use to analysis the influence of CRAE on arteriosclerosis(baPWV≥14.00m/s)in the total participants and then stratified by age.

RESULTS: CRAE and AVR decrease with age, in the non-atherosclerotic people. In multivariate linear regression analysis, CRAE and AVR were defeat correlated with baPWV in the 45-59 years old group and above 60 years old group. For each increase of 1 unit of CRAE and AVR, baPWV decreased by 0.01m/s, 0.02m/s, 1.99m/s and 5.58m/s, respectively. In multivariate Logistic regression analysis, the risk of arteriosclerosis decreased with the increase of CRAE by 1μm in the 45-59 years group and above 60 years old group. The OR values(95% CI)were 0.99(0.98-0.99)and 0.98(0.97-0.99), respectively.

CONCLUSION: In the 45-59 years old group and above 60 years old group, CRAE and AVR were negatively correlated with arterial stiffness, and their increase was the protective factor of arteriosclerosis.