A case of melanocytoma of the optic disc(os), a 43 year-old male who had hypertensive retinopathy, was discovered in routine funduscopy on Feb. 5' 75. His visual acuity and visual field revealed normal findings. Funduscopic findings showed a round dark pigmented mass occupied one disc diameter in lower-temporal quadrants.
Adult ; Humans ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Male ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Fields

PURPOSE: Among electroretinogram variables, changes in OPs have frequently been reported as an early index of microcirculatory changes in diabetes mellitus patients without clinical signs of diabetic retinopathy. But studies on the relationship of hypertensive retinopathy and ERG have rarely been reported. This study was performed to investigate the relationship between retinal functional damage of hypertension and related changes in ERG. METHODS: Sixty-six essential hypertensive patients who visited our health screening center from January to July in 2001 were incruited as subjects. Among 122 eyes of 61 patients, 56 eyes with normal appearing retina were classified as group A while another 66 eyes with evidence of hypertensive retinopathy were as group B and 30 eyes of 15 persons of similar ages with normal blood pressure were normal control group as group C. Amplitude and implicit time were measured according to the standard electroretinogram procedure recommended by the ISCEV. RESULTS: In rod response, the amplitude of b wave of group A and B were smaller than that of group C(p<0.01), and the SOP of group A and B were also smaller than that of group C(p<0.01). The SOP of group B was smaller than that of group A(P<0.01). Regardless of degree of hypertension, the SOP value of group B was smaller than that of group A(P<0.01). Among patients with less than 5 years of duration, the SOP value of group B was smaller than that of group A(P<0.01). Among Group A with more than 5 years of duration, regardless of hypertensive retinopathy, the SOP was decreased. Among Group B with less than 5 years of duration, the SOP was also decreased regardless of retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of hypertensive retinopahy, scotopic b-amplitude and SOP were reduced in hypertension patients. Those patient with longer duration, decreased SOP was related to microcirculation alteration in hypertension despite normal appearing retina.
Blood Pressure ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertensive Retinopathy* ; Mass Screening ; Microcirculation ; Retina ; Retinaldehyde

OBJECTIVE:To determine the current leading causes of new patient consults at the out-patient general clinic of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS), Sentro Oftalmologico Jose Rizal (SOJR).
METHODS: The data were gathered from the DOVS out-patient general clinic monthly census. Compilation and tabulation of the diagnoses of all new patients from January to December 2009 were done.
RESULTS: The leading causes of new patient consults were cataract (30.8%), error of refraction (20.1%), pterygium (6.1%), conjunctivitis (4.9%), dysfunctional tear syndrome (4.5%), glaucoma (4.3%), diabetic retinopathy (3.7%), and hypertensive retinopathy (3.4%).
CONCLUSION: Cataract and error of refraction comprise the majority of all causes of consultation among new patients.

Human ; Cataract ; Censuses ; Conjunctivitis ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Glaucoma ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Ophthalmology ; Outpatients ; Pterygium ; Referral And Consultation ; Vision Tests

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness in patients with malignant hypertension. METHODS: A total of 12 eyes of six malignant hypertension patients were included in the present study. Intraocular pressure, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and choroidal thickness were measured before and after blood pressure control. Choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The changes in choroidal extravascular density of the EDI-OCT image after blood pressure control were evaluated by comparing brightness values obtained with Adobe Photoshop software. RESULTS: The subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of malignant hypertension patients was 412.63 +/- 66.55 microm (mean +/- SD), which was thicker than in normal patients. After blood pressure control, SFCT decreased significantly to 356.96 +/- 59.08 microm (mean +/- SD) (p = 0.002). The choroidal extravascular density of the EDI-OCT image decreased after blood pressure control (p = 0.002), and the mean change was 17.21 +/- 7.56. CONCLUSIONS: The choroid is thickened in patients with malignant hypertension, and its thickness decreases after blood pressure control. This suggests that changes in blood pressure may affect choroidal thickness.
Blood Pressure ; Choroid* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Malignant* ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Intraocular Pressure ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

The retinal and choroidal blood vessels respond independently to the abruptly increased arterial pressure due to their differences in the anatomic and physiologic properties, which induce hypertensive retinopathy and hypertensive choroidopathy respectively. The authors reviewed the fluorescein angiogram retrospectively to observe the ischemic changes of the choroid in 15 cases of hypertensive choroidopathy. The ischemic changes of the choroid in hypertensive choroidopathy were characterized by generalized or sectorial filling delay which was followed by staining or leakage of dye. These findings suggest that the choroidal circulation may lead to the sectorial and generalized ischemic conditions following the abruptly increased arterial pressure due to their differences in the anatomic structures. The fluorescein angiographic findings in the hypertensive choroidopathy depend on both the degree of the circulatory disturbance and the levels of the affected choroidal vessels.
Arterial Pressure ; Blood Vessels ; Choroid ; Fluorescein Angiography* ; Fluorescein* ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Retinaldehyde ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is believed to be a benign form of secondary hypertension due to the low incidence of hypertensive complications. Recently, several studies have shown that hypertensive complications were common in patients with PA. Therefore, we investigated hypertensive complications in 46 PA patients. METHEODS: Clinical and laboratory features of 46 46 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Hypertensive complications of this group were left ventricular hypertrophy, cerebrovascular accidents, hypertensive nephropathy and hypertensive retinopathy. RESULTS: Hypertensive complications were found in 30 (65.2%) of the 46 patients. The incidence of severe hypertension (higher than or equal to 110 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure) was 17.6%. Left ventricular hypertrophy was found in 26 (56.7%) of the 46 patients. Cerebrovascular accidents were found in 6 patients, and hypertensive nephropathy in 4 patients. The incidence of severe hypertensive retinopathy (higher than or equal to grade 3 in the Keith-Wagener Barker classification) was 17.6%. Of the 35 PA patients who underwent surgical treatment hypertension was found in 18 (51.4%). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that hypertensive complications are common in patients with PA, suggesting that early detection, treatment and close follow-up are necessary in PA.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism* ; Hypertension ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Incidence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke

The authors evaluated the fundus findings among the 4143 relatively healthy Koreans who visited the Health Clinic Center in Koryo General Hospital in Seoul for the routine physical check-up from June 1983 to June 1984. In this study, we investigated the relationships among the hypertensive arteriosclerotic retinopathies with the systemic blood pressure and serum cholesterol, neutral fat, beta-lipoprotein. The results are: 1. Among the 4143 cases, 2989 males and 1154 females are included, their age distribution was from 10 to 99 years old. 2. Of the 4143 cases, 101 cases had Hypertensive Retinopathy and of these cases K-W Grade I were most common. 3. 139 cases of the 4143 cases had Arteriosclerotic Retinopathy and G-I was most common. 4. The K-W Grades of the Hypertensive Retinopathy were positively related to the sistolic, the diastolic blood pressure. 5. There were no significant relationships between Hypertensive Retinopathy and serum cholesterol level, neutral fat, beta-lipoprotein. 6. In the A-V crossing phenomenon, the incidences of concealment and displacement were positively related to the Grades of the Arteriosclerotic Retinopathy. 7. To compare with the former evaluation(Part I) 5), the following results are obtained: (1) The incidence of hypertensive retinopathy in part I was 8% and 2.43 in part II. (2) The incidence of arteriosclerotic retinopathy in part I was 6.5% and 3% in part II.
Age Distribution ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Incidence ; Male ; Seoul

We measured actual (A) and the shortest (B) length of nasal and temporal retinal vessels (arterioles and venules) from the optic disc with polaroid color photography. There were 71 eyes in normal blood pressure group and 51 eyes in hypertension group (>or=141/91). By calculation of tortuosity ratio (A/B), tortuosity of the retinal vessels was evaluated in the two groups. The tortuosity ratio of temporal retinal artelY and vein was higher in hypertension group than in normal group (p<0.05), and there was no statistical difference between tortuosity and age. In hypertension group, systolic pressure over 161 mmHg, the tortuosity ratio of the temporal retinal artery was higher than in normal group (phypertensive retinopathy to detect the abnormal tortuosity of the retinal vessels, in addition to other retinal vascular changes.
Blood Pressure ; Diagnosis ; Hypertension* ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Photography ; Retinal Artery ; Retinal Vessels ; Retinaldehyde* ; Veins

PURPOSE: To report the relationship between hypertensive retinopathy and associated target organ damage in Korean hypertensive patients. METHODS: A total of 519 hypertensive patients were divided into hypertension retinopathy grades I through IV based on fundus examination. According to the grade of each hypertensive retinopathy, the frequency of target organ damage (cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and retinal vessel occlusion) and the association with hypertension retinopathy were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 211 patients (40.7%) without hypertensive retinopathy, 226 patients (43.5%) with hypertensive retinopathy grade I, 71 patients (13.7%) with grade II, seven patients (1.3%) with grade III and four patients (0.8%) with grade IV. The numbers of patients with cardiovascular disease were 103 (45.6%) in grade I, 57 (80.3%) in grade II, 3 (42.9%) in grade III, two (50.0%) in grade IV, and 70 (37.4%) in the non-hypertensive retinopathy group. According to four grades, the numbers of patients with cerebrovascular disease were three (1.3%), two (2.8%), zero (0%), and one (25.0%), respectively, with two (0.9%) in the non-hypertensive retinopathy patients. The respective numbers of patients with chronic kidney according to grades I through IV were 14 (6.2%), ten (14.0%), two (28.6%), and four (100.0%), as well as ten (4.7%) in the non-hypertensive retinopathy patients. The respective numbers of patients with retinal vessel occlusion were one (0.4%), two (2.8%), one (14.3%), and one (25.0%), with zero (0%) in the non-hypertensive retinopathy patients. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of hypertensive retinopathy should not be overlooked in Korean hypertensive patients due to an association with various target organ damage.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Kidney ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Retinal Vessels

Hypertensive encephalopathy is an acute clinical syndrome that shows central nerve dysfunction with sudden and marked elevation in blood pressure. But its pathophysiologic mechanisms, clinical courses and prognosis are still not clear. In order to study clinical manifestations and response to treatment in patients with hypertensive encephalopathy, we reviewed 45 patients with hypertensive encephalopathy who were admitted in Dept. of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, from January 1975 to December 1984. The following results were obtained: 1) The ratio of male to female was 1.1:1. The peak age of incidence was in the 6th and 7th decade with mean age of 57.5 years. 2) Among 45 patients, only 29 had known history of hypertension and the average duration of hypertension was 8.1+/-3.6 years. 3) The most common sympotm was severe headache (68.9%). And altered consciousness, nausea and/or vomiting, focal neurologic signs and visual disturbance were also common symptoms in decreasing order of frequency. 4) Funduscopic examination showed hypertensive retinopathy in 20 of 24 (91.7%) patients and lumbar puncture revealed increased CSF pressure in 12 of 20 (60%) patients. 5) In most patients, the mean interval to symptomatic improvement was 2.1 days after administration of anti hypertensive agents, but in 6 patients with initial mean arterial blood pressure above 170mmHg, 4 patients showed delayed response and 2 patients were expired.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Consciousness ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertensive Encephalopathy* ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Incidence ; Internal Medicine ; Male ; Nausea ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prognosis ; Spinal Puncture ; Vomiting