Automated analysis of choroidal thickness in patients with systemic lupus erithematosus treated with hydroxychloroquine

• Published in: International ophthalmology Vol. 44; no. 1; p. 40
• Main Authors: Arias-Peso, Borja, Chacón González, María, García-Navarro, Damián, Ruiz del Tiempo, María Pilar, Pardiñas Barón, Nieves, Sáez-Comet, Luis, Ruiz-Moreno, Oscar, Bartol-Puyal, Francisco, Méndez-Martínez, Silvia, Pablo Júlvez, Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 09.02.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; Autoimmune diseases; Choroid; Computed tomography; Correlation analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Hydroxychloroquine; Hydroxychloroquine - therapeutic use; Lupus; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - complications; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - drug therapy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Ophthalmology; Original Paper; Regression analysis; Retinal Diseases - diagnosis; Retinopathy; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Thickness; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Choroid; Biomarker; Retinotoxicity; Hydroxychloroquine; Systemic lupus erythematosus
• ISSN: 1573-2630; 0165-5701; 1573-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-03016-w

Purpose To evaluate the influence of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), considering the possible impact of disease activity on the choroid. Methods Cross-sectional study comparing three groups: two groups of SLE patients treated with HCQ without HCQ-retinopathy (32 eyes/32 patients with < 5 years of HCQ (group 1) and 44 eyes/44 patients with > 5 years of HCQ (group 2)), and an age-matched healthy control group of 46 eyes/46 patients (group 3). A complete ophthalmic examination was performed, including swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) Triton (Topcon). Data were correlated to systemic disease activity parameters. Results CT was thicker in group 1 compared to group 3 in central, nasal, and superior sectors, and to group 2 in inner superior and outer inferior sectors ( p  < 0.05). In the correlation analysis, disease activity and CT were inversely correlated in most sectors ( p  < 0.05). In the regression analysis, HCQ was related to thinner CT in temporal and inferior sectors and disease activity with variations in nasal sectors ( p  < 0.05). Conclusions In SLE patients, HCQ is correlated to decreased CT, especially in the inferior and temporal areas. The choroid shows different responses to SLE activity and HCQ, and some sectors may be more sensitive than others.