Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness, Cardiovascular History, and Risk Factors in the Elderly: The Montrachet Study.

PURPOSE: To measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in the elderly and to determine the associations among SFCT, cardiovascular history, and the 10-year risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODS

We conducted a population-based study, the Montrachet (Maculopathy Optic Nerve, nuTRition neurovAsCular, and HEarT disease) study, in subjects older than 75 years. SFCT was measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with enhanced-depth mode imaging. Participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination. The history of CVD, CVD risk factors, and a score-based estimation of their 10-year risk of cardiovascular mortality (Heart Score) were collected.

RESULTS

Overall, 764 participants were retained for analysis. The mean SFCT was 206.4 ± 83.0 μm. The mean age was 81.9 ± 3.6 years. After a multivariable analysis, older age (β = -32.56 μm, P < 0.001) and longer axial length (β = -20.71 μm, P < 0.001) were independently associated with thinner SFCT. SFCT was not significantly associated with sex, cardiovascular history, classical CVD risk factors, or prognostic risk score.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms that longer axial length and older age are associated with thinner SFCT. However, SFCT does not appear to be a biomarker for cardiovascular history in this study.