Association between the Metabolic Syndrome and Retinal Microvascular Diameters among Police Officers

Objectives We examined the associations of the metabolic syndrome severity score (MSSS) and the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) components with central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE). Methods Participants in this cross-sectional study were 253 officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study (2011-2014). The MSSS is a z-score that represents the severity of MetSyn and was estimated using a sex/race-specific equation and the five MetSyn components. Associations of MSSS and the MetSyn with CRAE/CRVE were obtained using linear regression models or analysis of covariance. Results For every 1-standard deviation of MSSS, CRAE decreased by 2.3 μm (SE = 1.2, P = 0.0262) and CRVE increased by 3.4 μm (SE = 1.6, P = 0.0308) after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions Officers with higher MSSS had narrower (ie, worse) arteriolar diameters and wider (ie, worse) venular diameters.