Choroidal Thickness Indicates Subclinical Ocular and Systemic Inflammation in Eyes with Behçet Disease without Active Inflammation

• Published in: Korean journal of ophthalmology Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 290 - 295
• Main Authors: Chung, Yoo-Ri, Cho, Eun Hyung, Jang, Seran, Lee, Seung Yeop, Lee, Eun-So, Lee, Kihwang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Ophthalmological Society 01.08.2018; 대한안과학회
• Subjects: Original; 안과학; Behcet syndrome; Choroidal thickness; Inflammation
• ISSN: 1011-8942; 2092-9382; 2092-9382
• DOI: 10.3341/kjo.2017.0139

To investigate whether subfoveal choroidal thickness, measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), is an indicator of subclinical ocular or systemic inflammation in eyes with Behçet disease (BD) without active ocular inflammation. A retrospective analysis was used to examine clinical features of non-uveitic patients with BD (NUBD group), patients with a previous history of Behçet uveitis in an inactive state (IUBD group), and healthy controls were evaluated from October 2014 to September 2015. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured using EDI-OCT. The NUBD group included 46 eyes in 24 patients; the IUBD group included 16 eyes in 11 patients; and the control group included 35 eyes in 23 individuals. The mean subfoveal choroidal thicknesses differed significantly among these groups. Choroidal thickness was significantly greater in the NUBD (310.5 ± 81.0 μm) than in the IUBD (263.1 ± 56.6 μm, p = 0.013) and control (256.9 ± 67.9 μm, p = 0.002) groups. The disease activity score was significantly higher in the NUBD than in the IUBD group (p < 0.001), while the use of cyclosporine was significantly associated with choroidal thickness in eyes with NUBD (p = 0.039). Subfoveal choroidal thickness, as measured by EDI-OCT, may be a clinical indicator of subclinical ocular inflammation and systemic inflammation in BD patients without active ocular inflammation.