Could retinal photographs allow early detection of people at risk of dementia ?

Cerebral vascular lesions, in particular cerebral small vessel disease, are major contributors to cognitive decline and dementia.

The aim of this study was to assess whether changes in the small retinal vessels, which are easily visible on a fundus photograph, could help to identify at an early stage people at risk of developing dementia in the future.

To address this question, the associations between the characteristics of the small retinal vessels and the occurrence of dementia in the following 10 years were analyzed in 584 participants from the 3 Cités-Aliénor cohort. The results showed that greater retinal arteriolar tortuosity was associated with the onset of dementia, whatever the aetiology. The size of retinal vessels (narrower arterial calibres and wider venous calibres) and greater venous tortuosity were also associated with the onset of dementia, but specifically dementia with a vascular component.

L’ Etude des 3 Cités – L’étude des Trois Cités (Etude 3C) a pour objectif principal d’étudier la relation entre les facteurs de risque vasculaires et la démence dans une population de plus de 9000 personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus. (the-three-city-study-3c.com)

These results still need to be confirmed and refined in order to define thresholds that can be used clinically. Ultimately, however, they could make it possible to identify people most at risk of developing dementia, so that their care can be adapted accordingly.

Read the press release :  https://www.inserm.fr/actualite/examiner-la-retine-permettrait-de-reperer-la-demence/