Measurement and clinical implications of choroidal thickness in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Approved by the following research ethics committee: Gazi University Ethics Committee. Number N o 53 -26/01/2015. ABSTRACTPurpose: Ocular inflammation is a frequent extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may parallel disease activity. In this study, we evaluated the utility of a choroidal thickness measurement in assessing IBD activity. Methods: A total of 62 eyes of 31 patients with IBD [Crohn's disease (CD), n=10 and ulcerative colitis (UC), n=21] and 104 eyes of 52 healthy blood donors were included in this study. Choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. The Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and the modified Truelove Witts score were used to assess disease activity in CD and UC, respectively. Results: No significant differences in mean subfoveal, nasal 3000 µm, or temporal 3000 µm choroidal thickness measurements (P>0.05 for all) were observed between IBD patients and healthy controls. Age, smoking, CD site of involvement (ileal and ileocolonic involvement), CDAI, CD activity, and UC endoscopic activity index were all found to be significantly correlated with choroidal thickness by univariate analysis (P<0.05). Smoking (P<0.05) and the CD site of involvement (P<0.01) were the only independent parameters associated with increased choroidal thickness at all measurement locations. Conclusions: Choroidal thickness is not a useful marker of disease activity in patients with IBD but may be an indicator of ileal involvement in patients with CD.

Effect of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases on Choroidal and Macular Thickness

“…Önal at al. declared a similar study which CT was increased in IBD with ileal involment (8). Similarly we find out increased CT in both Crohn and UC patients in our study.…”

The Increment of Choroidal Thickness in Euthyroid Graves’ Ophthalmopathy: Is It an Early Sign of Venous Congestion?

“…Inflammation of the eye affects the choroidal vascular structure. Some authors reported many ocular inflammatory diseases that affect the choroid like Vogt–Koyonagi–Harada (VKH), sarcoidosis, Behçet's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and posterior scleritis before [ 19 – 22 ]. According to these different studies in the acute phase, choroidal thickness usually increases, but recurrent inflammatory changes decrease the CT and causes the atrophic changes which results as choroidal thinning.…”

Does Allergic Rhinitis have any Effect on Choroidal Thickness?

“…The researchers concluded that inflammation could be the reason [18]. However, Onal et al [19] reported no significant difference of the choroidal thickness between the patients with inflammatory bowel disorder and control individuals. It has been shown that the inflammatory process related to disease duration in psoriasis also affects the choroidal thickness [20,21].…”

“…It has been shown that the inflammatory process related to disease duration in psoriasis also affects the choroidal thickness [20,21]. Consequently, there are many disorders that have effects on choroidal structure and they may indirectly contribute the pathogenesis of chorioretinal diseases [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. The AMD prevalence is lower in rheumatoid arthritis patients who receive anti-inflammatory treatment [24].…”