Publication details
Retinal venular vessel diameters are smaller during ten days of bed rest
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Nature Scientific Reports |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-46177-x |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46177-x |
| Keywords | BAROREFLEX CONTROL; PLASMA-VOLUME; BLOOD-FLOW; RISK; MICROGRAVITY; HYPERTENSION; RESPONSES; ATROPHY |
| Description | Older individuals experience cardiovascular dysfunction during extended bedridden hospital or care home stays. Bed rest is also used as a model to simulate accelerated vascular deconditioning occurring during spaceflight. This study investigates changes in retinal microcirculation during a ten-day bed rest protocol. Ten healthy young males (22.9?±?4.7 years; body mass index: 23.6?±?2.5 kg·m–2) participated in a strictly controlled repeated-measures bed rest study lasting ten days. High-resolution images were obtained using a hand-held fundus camera at baseline, daily during the 10 days of bed rest, and 1 day after re-ambulation. Retinal vessel analysis was performed using a semi-automated software system to obtain metrics for retinal arteriolar and venular diameters, central retinal artery equivalent and central retinal vein equivalent, respectively. Data analysis employed a mixed linear model. At the end of the bed rest period, a significant decrease in retinal venular diameter was observed, indicated by a significantly lower central retinal vein equivalent (from 226.1 µm, CI 8.90, to 211.4 µm, CI 8.28, p?=?.026), while no significant changes in central retinal artery equivalent were noted. Prolonged bed rest confinement resulted in a significant (up to 6.5%) reduction in retinal venular diameter. These findings suggest that the changes in retinal venular diameter during bedrest may be attributed to plasma volume losses and reflect overall (cardio)-vascular deconditioning. |