Siegrist streaks are a rare manifestation of

hypertensive Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high blo ...

choroidopathy. They are described as hyper-pigmented flecks that are arranged in a linear fashion along the

choroid The choroid, also known as the choroidea or choroid coat, is a part of the uvea, the vascular layer of the eye, and contains connective tissues, and lies between the retina and the sclera. The human choroid is thickest at the far extreme rear ...

al vessels of the

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

. Although they are usually indicative of

fibrinoid necrosis Fibrinoid necrosis is a specific pattern of irreversible, uncontrolled cell death that occurs when antigen-antibody complexes are deposited in the walls of blood vessels along with fibrin. It is common in the immune-mediated vasculitides which ar ...

associated with malignant hypertension, Siegrist streaks also occur in patients with

temporal arteritis Temporal may refer to: Entertainment * Temporal (band), an Australian metal band * ''Temporal'' (Radio Tarifa album), 1997 * ''Temporal'' (Love Spirals Downwards album), 2000 * ''Temporal'' (Isis album), 2012 * ''Temporal'' (video game), a 20 ...

. They are named after Swiss

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

August Siegrist August Siegrist (20 May 1865, in Basel – 13 December 1947) was a Swiss ophthalmologist remembered for describing Siegrist streaks. He trained at Basel, Zurich, Lausanne, Vienna and Bern, where he received his M.D. in 1892. He studied further in ...

(1865–1947).

References

The Causes and Consequences of High Blood Pressure
Siegrist streaks {{med-sign-stub