The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 515-521.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2025.04.008

• Clinical Research • Previous Articles    

Retinal neurovascular characteristics and their correlation with depression severity in patients with coronary artery disease and depression

Xue HE1,2,Huan MA3,Cong LI1,2,Yan WANG1,2,Yu KUANG2,Lei LIU2,Honghua YU2,Xiaohong. YANG1,2()   

  1. School of Medicine,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510006,Guangdong,China,
    Guangdong Eye Institute,Guangdong Provincial People′s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences),Southern Medical University,Guangzhou 510080,Guangdong,China,
  • Received:2024-11-27 Online:2025-02-25 Published:2025-02-28
  • Contact: Xiaohong. YANG E-mail:syyangxh@scut.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective To evaluate retinal vascular and neural changes in patients with coronary artery disease with depression (CADD) and to investigate their association with depression severity. Methods A total of 40 patients with CADD, 56 patients with CAD without depressive disorder (CADND), and 31 healthy controls were included in this study. The vessel density of superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP), and the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC), were quantified using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to analyze the differences between the groups and their correlation with PHQ-9 scores. Results Compared with the healthy control group, SCP and DCP were significantly decreased in both CADD and CADND groups (P < 0.05). Both superior hemi in RNFL thickness and GCC thickness (including mean, superior hemi, and inferior hemi) were significantly increased in patients with CADD compared with patients with CADND (P < 0.05). PHQ-9 scores were negatively correlated with the mean and inferior RNFL thickness (P < 0.05). Conclusion Both retinal vascular neural structures were altered in patients with CADD, and the neural alterations were strongly correlated with the severity of the patient's depression symptom.

Key words: coronary artery disease, depressive disorders, optical coherence tomography angiography

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