Evaluation of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer measurements in patients with iron deficiency anemia with optical coherence tomography.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the thickness of the peripapillary retinal fiber layer (RNFL) and macula ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCL+) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with iron deficiency (ID) anemia.

METHODS:

This study included 73 eyes of 39 patients with ID anemia and 68 eyes of 34 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The measurements included the peripapillary RNFL thicknesses as average, 4 quadrant and 12 clock-hour (CH) based and macula GCL+ thicknesses as average and 6 quadrant based. All measurements were completed with Cirrus HD-OCT and the results were compared between the groups.

RESULTS:

A total of 73 eyes of 39 patients with ID anemia and 68 eyes of 34 healthy subjects were included to the study. Regarding peripapillary RNFL thicknesses of the study and control patients, the values of average and quadrants revealed no significant differences between the groups. In CH sectors comparison, peripapillary RNFL thicknesses were significantly decreased only in CH4 (68.7 ± 14.5 μm in study versus 72.0 ± 13.4 μm in control patients, p = 0.049) and CH5 (93.4 ± 20.0μm in study versus 102.2 ± 20.1 μm in control patients, p = 0.01) sectors. All measured quadrants were statistically similar, when macula GCL+ thicknesses were compared between the groups. When the correlations between peripapillary RNFL and macula GCL+ thicknesses and serum hemoglobin and ferritin levels of study and control patients were calculated, the only statistically significant parameter was the correlation of peripapillary RNFL thickness in CH10 sector with serum ferritin level (p = 0.032, Spearman correlation coefficient: 0.369).

CONCLUSION:

The study revealed that peripapillary RNFL is thinner in nasal-inferior quadrant in patients with ID anemia. The measurements of macula GCL+ thicknesses were similar between the groups. Analyzing the retinal layers using OCT may provide valuable information in neurodegenerative events.

• Authors: Nursen Oncel Acir, Zeynep Dadaci, Fatma Cetiner, Murat Yildiz, Husnu Alptekin, Mehmet Borazan
• Journal: Cutaneous and ocular toxicology (Cutan Ocul Toxicol) Vol. 35 Issue 2 Pg. 131-6 ( 2016) ISSN: 1556-9535 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26293666 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Hemoglobins
• Ferritins

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Anemia, Iron-Deficiency (blood, pathology)
• Female
• Ferritins (blood)
• Hemoglobins (analysis)
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Nerve Fibers (pathology)
• Retinal Ganglion Cells (pathology)
• Tomography, Optical Coherence
• Young Adult