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Determinants of Human Asymmetry: Does Asymmetrical Retinal Vasculature Predict Asymmetry Elsewhere in the Body?

Authors :
Doris Plećaš
Vesna Gotovac Đogaš
Ozren Polašek
Jelena Škunca Herman
Source :
Life, Vol 14, Iss 8, p 929 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore retinal vasculature asymmetry (ReVA) patterns in subjects from the islands of Vis and Korcula and the city of Split, Croatia. Asymmetry estimates were based on topographic image analysis of non-mydriatic retinal fundus photographs and compared with nine ophthalmic measurements, three Doppler-based pressure indices and eight frequencies of audiometry. ReVA was also correlated to the genomic runs of homozygosity (ROHs) and used in a Cox regression survival model, where we adjusted for the effects of sex, age and comorbidity. In 1873 subjects, ReVA estimates were significantly correlated with most ophthalmic asymmetry measures, less strongly with the ankle–brachial pressure index and only modestly with higher-amplitude audiometry asymmetries (lowest p = 0.020). ReVA was significantly correlated with the number of ROHs (r = 0.229, p < 0.001) but less strongly with the ROH length (r = 0.101, p < 0.001). The overlap of asymmetries was low, with only 107 subjects (5.7% of the total sample) who had two or more instances in which they were among the top 10%. Multiple asymmetries did not affect survival (HR = 0.74, 95% confidence intervals 0.45–1.22). Retinal vasculature asymmetry is a poor predictor of asymmetry elsewhere in the body. Despite its existence and apparent association with comorbidities, the observed extent of retinal vasculature asymmetry did not affect the lifespan in this population.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20751729
Volume :
14
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Life
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.689e5943e102439bb51ef41d52eb8594
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/life14080929