Differential Expression of Sex-Steroid Receptors in the Choroid Aligns With Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Sex Prevalence Across Different Ages.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of sex-steroid receptors in human choroidal tissue across different ages and sex, aiming to better understand the pronounced sex difference in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) occurrence. Methods: Paraffin-embedded enucleated eyes of 14 premenopausal women, 15 postmenopausal women, 10 young men (<45 years), and 10 older men (>60 years) were used. A clinically certified immunostaining was performed to detect the presence of the androgen receptor (AR), progesterone receptor (PR; isoform A and B), and estrogen receptor (ERα). The stained slides were scored in a blinded manner for positive endothelial cells and stromal cells in consecutive sections of the same choroidal region. Results: Our analysis revealed the presence of AR, PR, and ERα in endothelial cells and stromal cells of choroidal tissue. The mean proportion of AR-positive endothelial cells was higher in young men (46% ± 0.15) compared to aged-matched women (29% ± 0.12; P < 0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]). Premenopausal women showed markedly lower mean proportion of ERα (5% ± 0.02) and PR-positive endothelial cells (2% ± 0.01) compared to postmenopausal women (15% ± 0.07 and 19% ± 0.13; both P < 0.05, 95% CI), young men (13% ± 0.04 and 21% ± 0.10; both P < 0.05, 95% CI), and older men (18% ± 0.09 and 27% ± 0.14; both P < 0.05, 95% CI). Mean PR-positive stromal cells were also less present in premenopausal women (12% ± 0.07) than in other groups. Conclusions: The number of sex-steroid receptors in the choroidal tissue differs between men and women across different ages, which aligns with the prevalence patterns of CSC in men and postmenopausal women.

Clinical Landscape of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in Germany: Retina.net CSC Registry Report Number 1.

INTRODUCTION: The German Registry of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) collects data on CSC patients in a nationwide multicenter approach to analyze epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentations, as well as diagnosis and treatment patterns. METHODS: In this multicenter cohort study, patients with CSC were enrolled in nine tertiary referral centers in Germany between January 2022 and June 2023. After consenting to the study, demographic data, risk factors, reported symptoms, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), funduscopic findings, disease severity, and diagnostic and treatment decisions were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 539 eyes of 411 CSC patients were enrolled in this study including 308 males (75%) and 103 females (25%). Patients were predominantly of Caucasian origin and had a mean age of 55.5 years (IQR 41.0-70.0). 28% of eyes were classified as acute (<4 months duration) CSC, 28% as chronic (>4 months duration) CSC, 21% as inactive CSC, 11% as chronic atrophic CSC, and 12% as CSC with secondary CNV. 128 patients (31%) demonstrated bilateral CSC. The most common risk factors reported were psychological stress (52%), smoking (38%), arterial hypertension (38%), and a history of or current use of steroids (30%). Most frequently encountered symptoms included decreased visual acuity (76%), metamorphopsia (49%), relative scotoma (47%), blurred vision (19%), and dyschromatopsia (9%). The mean logMAR BCVA on initial examination was 0.2 (≈20/30, IQR 0.2-0.4) but showed significant variation with a tendency of lower BCVA in chronic cases. At the baseline visit, 74% of the overall cohort received no treatment, while 19% underwent local treatment and only 2% underwent systemic treatment. Of the local therapies, anti-VEGF injections were the most frequently performed procedure (33%, mainly for secondary CNV), followed by micropulse laser (28%), focal nonpulsed laser (23%), verteporfin photodynamic therapy (14%), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory eye drops (2%). Among intravitreal anti-VEGF agents, aflibercept was used most frequently, followed by bevacizumab and ranibizumab. CONCLUSION: This registry represents one of the largest cohorts of European patients with CSC to date. Patient age and the proportion of women were higher than expected and bilateral active disease was lower than anticipated, highlighting that neither age nor gender should be overemphasized when diagnosing CSC. Therapeutic interventions are heterogeneous and include verteporfin photodynamic therapy, micropulse laser, and anti-VEGF injections in case of secondary CNV.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Is a Significant Risk Factor for Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in Male Veterans.

The primary aim of this study was to determine whether psychosocial factors, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety, are independently associated with the development of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), a predominantly male eye disorder. A secondary aim was to verify previously determined risk factors in a veteran population. All CSCR subjects seen in one year at a veteran eye clinic were included. Chart review was performed to identify general health information as well as eye history. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify factors that were independently associated with the development of CSCR. Fifty-one cases of CSCR were identified and an additional 51 age-matched controls with healthy eyes were used for analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that history of PTSD was strongly associated with the development of CSCR (OR = 9.43, p = .002), even more so than previously reported risk factors. Anxiety was significant at the univariate level (OR = 6.48, p = .001) but lost significance at the multivariate level. At the multivariate level, several existing risk factors were confirmed including sleep apnea (OR = 5.76, p = .004), heart disease (OR = 7.06, p = .004), smoking (OR = 5.52, p = .003) and steroid use (OR = 4.55, p = .005). PTSD was strongly associated with the development of CSCR in the veteran population studied and may represent an important modifiable risk factor.

Infigratinib (BGJ398) in previously treated patients with advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements: mature results from a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment options are sparse for patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma after progression on first-line gemcitabine-based therapy. FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements occur in 10-16% of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Infigratinib is a selective, ATP-competitive inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptors. We aimed to evaluate the antitumour activity of infigratinib in patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, FGFR2 alterations, and previous gemcitabine-based treatment. METHODS: This multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study recruited patients from 18 academic centres and hospitals in the USA, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older, had histologically or cytologically confirmed, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma and FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements, and were previously treated with at least one gemcitabine-containing regimen. Patients received 125 mg of oral infigratinib once daily for 21 days of 28-day cycles until disease progression, intolerance, withdrawal of consent, or death. Radiological tumour evaluation was done at baseline and every 8 weeks until disease progression via CT or MRI of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. The primary endpoint was objective response rate, defined as the proportion of patients with a best overall response of a confirmed complete or partial response, as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1. The primary outcome and safety were analysed in the full analysis set, which comprised all patients who received at least one dose of infigratinib. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02150967, and is ongoing. FINDINGS: Between June 23, 2014, and March 31, 2020, 122 patients were enrolled into our study, of whom 108 with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements received at least one dose of infigratinib and comprised the full analysis set. After a median follow-up of 10·6 months (IQR 6·2-15·6), the BICR-assessed objective response rate was 23·1% (95% CI 15·6-32·2; 25 of 108 patients), with one confirmed complete response in a patient who only had non-target lesions identified at baseline and 24 partial responses. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade were hyperphosphataemia (n=83), stomatitis (n=59), fatigue (n=43), and alopecia (n=41). The most common ocular toxicity was dry eyes (n=37). Central serous retinopathy-like and retinal pigment epithelial detachment-like events occurred in 18 (17%) patients, of which ten (9%) were grade 1, seven (6%) were grade 2, and one (1%) was grade 3. There were no treatment-related deaths. INTERPRETATION: Infigratinib has promising clinical activity and a manageable adverse event profile in previously treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma harbouring FGFR2 gene fusions or rearrangements, and so represents a potential new therapeutic option in this setting. FUNDING: QED Therapeutics and Novartis.

Evaluation of the relationship between central serous chorioretinopathy and liver cirrhosis: A nationwide, population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) and liver cirrhosis share numerous risk factors and may have possible connections. We aimed to investigate whether patients with liver cirrhosis and the severity of cirrhosis have an increased incidence of CSCR. METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted by collecting data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2015. We included patients who were newly diagnosed with cirrhosis and selected an equal number of sex- and age-matched control subjects. The effect of cirrhosis on the risk of CSCR was examined via a Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. The cumulative incidence of CSCR was assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. RESULTS: Both groups in this study comprised a total of 25 925 individuals. The cirrhotic patients had a significantly higher cumulative risk of developing CSCR in following years than patients without cirrhosis (log-rank test < 0.001). Furthermore, compared with noncirrhotic patients, the risk of CSCR was increased 3.59-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.31-5.28) in cirrhotic patients with complications, and 2.34-fold (95% CI, 1.27-3.24) in cirrhotic patients without complications. Additionally, male sex, springtime, diabetes mellitus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus statistical significantly increased the incidence of CSCR. CONCLUSION: Cirrhosis is an independent indicator of CSCR. Among the cirrhotic population, patients with ascites and other complications have a higher incidence of CSCR than those with uncomplicated cirrhosis. Physicians should be observant when managing cirrhotic patients with visual disturbances.

Choroidal imaging in patients with Cushing syndrome.

AIMS: Glucocorticoid intake is a well-established risk factor for central serous chorioretinopathy that belongs to the pachychoroid spectrum disease (PSD). The study aimed to assess the prevalence of PSD and analyse the choroidal phenotype in patients with Cushing syndrome. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in Ophtalmopôle hôpital Cochin, Paris, France, with a systematic evaluation of hospitalized patients with Cushing syndrome, between November 2017 and July 2018. 56 eyes from 28 Cushing syndrome patients and 56 eyes of 28 age and gender-matched, and close spherical equivalent healthy participants were included. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination including Enhanced-Depth Imaging (EDI)-Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Measures of subfoveal, 1000 µm nasal and 1000 µm temporal choroidal thicknesses were realized, and the presence of choroidal pachyvessels was evaluated. Hormonal tests evaluated the corticotropic axis. RESULTS: The number of eyes with PSD was significantly higher in Cushing syndrome patients as compared to controls (21.4% versus 3.6%, p = 0.004). In Cushing patients' eyes, 17.9% had a pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy (PPE) and 3.6% had a polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Pachyvessels were more common in Cushing syndrome patients than in healthy subjects (71.4% versus 42.9%, p = 0.002). Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 331 ± 110 µm in Cushing patients, with no statistical difference between the two groups. There was no correlation between choroidal thickness and urinary and salivary cortisol levels. CONCLUSION: Patients with Cushing syndrome have a higher prevalence of PDS. An ophthalmologic specialized follow-up of these patients with EDI-OCT could detect chorioretinal abnormalities and adapt the surveillance of these patients.

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY AND SLEEP APNEA: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

PURPOSE: To identify the association between sleep apnea (SA) and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: In this nationwide population-based study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, we enrolled adult patients with a diagnosis of SA and matched each patient to 30 age- and gender-matched control subjects without any SA diagnosis. Using Poisson regression analyses, the incidence rate of CSC was compared between SA patients and control subjects. RESULTS: A total of 10,753 SA patients and 322,590 control subjects were identified. After adjusting for age, gender, residency, income level, and comorbidities, the incidence rate of CSC was significantly higher in SA patients than in the control subjects (adjusted incident rate ratio for probable SA: 1.2 [95% CI: 1.1-1.4], P < 0.0001). Analyses of the propensity score-matched subpopulations also confirmed our findings. Risk factors for CSC in SA patients included male gender, age ≤50 years, higher income, presence of heart disease, absence of chronic pulmonary disease, and presence of liver disease. In SA patients, those who had received continuous positive airway pressure titration had a significantly lower incidence rate of CSC than the others. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed a significantly higher incidence rate of CSC in SA patients compared with the control subjects.

Prevalence and Profile of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in an Indian Cohort.

AIMS: To determine the profile of CSCR patients from a tertiary health care set-up in India. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A total of 2780 (2447 males and 333 females) patients with a diagnosis of CSCR were included. Data regarding the demographics, profile of CSCR and systemic diseases, if any, were collected from a tertiary eye care network in South India from January 2012 to December 2016. RESULTS: The prevalence of CSCR was found to be 1.7% (A total 2780 patients, with mean age of 42.3±10.1 years). A total of 2031 patients had a unilateral and 749 had bilateral involvement. Acute and chronic CSCR was seen in 1932 (69.5%) and 848 (30.5%) eyes respectively. The mean uncorrected visual acuity of the patients was 0.51±0.45 log MAR (Snellen equivalent 20/60) while the mean best corrected visual acuity was 0.32±0.40 log MAR (Snellen equivalent 20/40). History of smoking and steroid use was present in 214 (7.7%) and 758 (27.3%) individuals respectively. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus was present in 106 (3.8%) and 51 (1.8%) patients respectively. Most of patients {824 (29.6%) patients} were shift-workers. Laser was done in 336 (12.1%) acute and 223 (8%) chronic CSCR patients. Photodynamic therapy was used in 12 acute and 12 chronic cases. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of CSCR was 1.7%. The study provides an overview of patient profile among Indian subjects.

Risk factors for incident central serous retinopathy: case-control analysis of a US national managed care population.

AIM: To evaluate clinical comorbidities and steroid use as risk factors for central serous retinopathy (CSR). METHODS: Using national insurance databases, we conducted a case-control study of beneficiaries with an incident diagnosis of CSR between 2007 and 2015 (n=35 492) and randomly selected controls matched on age-based and sex-based propensity scores (n=1 77 460). RESULTS: The mean age (SD) of cases was 49.1 (12.2) years, and the majority (69.2%) were male. Cases were more likely to have received steroids in the past year (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.19, p<0.001) and to have comorbid Cushing's syndrome (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.59, p=0.002), age-related macular degeneration (OR 5.24, 95% CI 5.00 to 5.49, p<0.001), diabetic macular oedema (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.71 to 2.47, p<0.001) and diabetes mellitus (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.56, p<0.001). Glaucoma was associated with lower odds of CSR (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.56, p<0.001). Patients with other previously hypothesised risk factors (including essential hypertension, pregnancy, other autoimmune disease, sleep disorders, Helicobacter pylori infection and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease) had lower odds of CSR. CONCLUSIONS: Male middle-aged patients with recent steroid exposure were significantly more likely to develop CSR. Other risk factors include diabetes mellitus, diabetic macular oedema and age-related macular degeneration. Other previously hypothesised risk factors did not appear to confer increased risk. More research is needed to confirm and examine underlying pathophysiology.

Increased risk of central serous chorioretinopathy following end-stage renal disease: A nationwide population-based study.

This retrospective, nationwide, matched cohort study investigated the risk of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) following end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The study cohort included 84722 ESRD patients who were registered between January 2000 and December 2009 at the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. An age- and sex-matched control group comprised 84722 patients selected from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. We collected information for each patient from the index date until December 2011. During the follow-up period, we found a significantly elevated risk of CSCR in the ESRD patients compared with controls (incidence rate ratio = 1.51, 95% confidence interval = 1.24-1.84). After adjustment for potential confounders, including age, sex, coronary artery disease, peptic ulcer, and obstructive sleep apnea, ESRD patients were 1.41 times more likely to develop CSCR (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-1.73). In conclusion, we found that ESRD patients showed a significantly higher risk of developing CSCR and recommend regular retina examinations and education regarding CSCR for patients with ESRD.

Ocular manifestations in tuberculosis cases with HIV in Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: TB has seen resurgence associated with HIV. Tuberculosis can affect any ocular tissue. The association of HIV with TB is supposed to increase the incidence and plethora of ocular manifestations in tuberculosis. OBJECTIVES: To study the various ocular manifestations seen in tuberculosis patients with associated HIV infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This hospital based, cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in Tribhuvan University, Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Nepal and Geta Eye Hospital, Kailali from 2010 to 2015. Diagnosed cases of pulmonary and extra pulmonary tuberculosis with HIV co infection were evaluated for ocular manifestations after excluding other opportunistic infections. RESULTS: Of 70 cases eligible for the study, extra pulmonary tuberculosis was seen in60% of the cases. 5 patients (7.1 %) had ocular manifestations. CD4 counts were <50/mm3 in 3 cases. Ocular involvement was seen in the form of choroidal granulomas, papillitis, cranial nerve palsy, retinal vasculitis and central serous chorioretinopathy. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that ocular involvement is a frequent finding in cases with tuberculosis and HIV. Ocular findings are more common in cases with lesser CD4 counts. As ocular tuberculosis can be visually devastating, we recommend regular ocular evaluation of all patients with HIV and systemic tuberculosis.

Patient characteristics and risk factors for central serous chorioretinopathy: an analysis of 811 patients.

AIMS: To determine the demographic and morphological characteristics of patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and describe risk factors for CSC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 811 patients with CSC and 816 healthy controls referred from 2002 to 2018. RESULTS: The female/male ratio of patients with CSC was 1/2.7. Mean age of onset was 45.2 years. The peak prevalence for men occurred at 45-49 years. Women had two prevalence peaks, the higher at 55-59 years and the other at 45-49 years. Of these patients, 56.8% had unilateral disease, 42.1% had bilateral disease and 1.1% had only one eye. 671 (82.7%) patients had spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images and 598 (73.7%) had enhanced depth choroidal images. Pigment epithelial detachment (PED) was detected in 763 (80.7%) of 945 eyes with SD-OCT images. Chronic cases were more likely to be bilateral and multifocal and to have PED (all p<0.001). Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) did not differ between chronic and classic cases (p=0.74), but SFCT was greater in multifocal cases than unifocal cases (p<0.001). In multivariate regression analyses, older age of onset, longer duration of disease and hyperopia were positively associated with having chronic disease rather than classic disease, and myopia and thyroid hormone replacement were negatively associated. Steroid use, antidepressant or anxiolytic drug use, smoking, pregnancy and hyperopia were risk factors, and myopia was a protective factor for CSC. CONCLUSION: This is the largest case-control study of CSC to evaluate demographic morphological characteristics and risk factors. Multiple factors are associated with CSC.

Association of Corticosteroid Use With Incidence of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in South Korea.

Importance: Information on the incidence of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in individuals who receive corticosteroids is scarce but clinically important because these agents are useful and widely used. Objective: To estimate the annual and 5-year incidence of CSC in South Korea in the overall population and in those who have used corticosteroid medications. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study of a population-based random sample included East Asian adults for whom records are held in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database for calendar years 2011 through 2015. The data analysis was performed from July 1, 2017 to January 5, 2018. Exposures: Any type of corticosteroid use from 2002 through 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incidence of CSC. Results: The data set contained data from 868 939 adults (4 117 768 person-years). From 2011 through 2015, 1423 individuals (among whom the mean [SD] age was 46.8 [16.4] years and 1091 [76.7%] were male) with newly diagnosed CSC were identified. From 2002 to 2015, 783 099 individuals in the data set (90.1%) had ever used corticosteroids. The incidence of CSC per 10 000 person-years was 3.5 (5.4 in men; 1.6 in women) among the total population, 2.5 (3.0 in men; 1.2 in women) in those who had never used corticosteroids, and 3.6 (5.7 in men; 1.6 in women) among those who had ever used corticosteroids. The risk of CSCR with individuals who had ever used corticosteroids was estimated as an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.81 (95% CI, 1.47-2.23) compared with those who have never used these drugs. Current or recent corticosteroid use showed a positive association with the incidence of CSC (depending on duration of use, adjusted hazard ratio ranged from 1.54 to 2.15). Corticosteroid use in 2006 through 2009 was associated with an increased incidence of CSC after 2011 (adjusted hazard ratio 1.57 [95% CI, 1.13-2.18]). Conclusions and Relevance: In 2002 through 2015, 90.1% of adults in Korea received corticosteroids at least once. Although there was a clear difference in relative risk, this data analysis could not replicate the more than 30-fold increase in the risk ratio of CSC that has been reported previously. The incidence of CSC in the most vulnerable group, middle-aged men, was estimated to be approximately 1 case per 1000 corticosteroid users in the year following medication use. The overall incidence among those who had ever used corticosteroids and those who had never used these drugs was 2.5 and 3.6 per 10 000 person-years, respectively. This study provides additional evidence to support the potential role of corticosteroids in CSC.

Selective retina therapy with automatic real-time feedback-controlled dosimetry for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy in Korean patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of selective retina therapy (SRT) with real-time feedback-controlled dosimetry (RFD) in the treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: In this retrospective case series study, 50 eyes of 49 patients with chronic CSC demonstrating focal or diffuse foveal leakages on fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) were included. Following evaluation of test spots at temporal arcades, SRT (wavelength 527 nm, pulse repetition rate 100 Hz, pulse energy ramp with maximal 15 pulses) with retinal spot diameter of 200 µm was applied to the areas of each leakage observed on fluorescein angiography. Changes in mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), maximum macular thickness (MMT), subretinal fluid (SRF) height, and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) were evaluated at 1, 2 and 3 months after treatment. RFD was used for adjusting the pulse energy. Eyes received a mean of 21.1 ± 18.1 treatment spots with a range of energies between 50uJ and 200uJ per pulse. RESULTS: Subretinal fluid (SRF) was completely resolved in 74% (37/50 eyes) at month 3. Mean BCVA (LogMAR) was improved from 0.44 ± 0.29 at baseline to 0.37 ± 0.32 at month 3 (p = 0.001). MMT was decreased from 335.0 ± 99.8 µm at baseline to 236.4 ± 66.4 µm after 3 months (p < 0.001). SRF height was decreased from 168.0 ± 77.3 µm at baseline to 29.0 ± 57.3 µm after 3 months (p < 0.001). However, the changes in SCT were not statistically significant (p = 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: SRT treatment with RFD showed favorable visual and anatomical outcomes in patients with chronic CSC.

Risk Factors for Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: Multivariate Approach in a Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the potential risk factors associated independently with central serous retinopathy (CSR) in a Greek population, using multivariate approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants in the study were 183 consecutive patients diagnosed with CSR and 183 controls, matched for age. All participants underwent complete ophthalmological examination and information regarding their sociodemographic, clinical, medical and ophthalmological history were recorded, so as to assess potential risk factors for CSR. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that male sex, high educational status, high income, alcohol consumption, smoking, hypertension, coronary heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, autoimmune disorders, H. pylori infection, type A personality and stress, steroid use, pregnancy and hyperopia were associated with CSR, while myopia was found to protect from CSR. In multivariate analysis, alcohol consumption, hypertension, coronary heart disease and autoimmune disorders lost their significance, while the remaining factors were all independently associated with CSR. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to take into account the various risk factors for CSR, so as to define vulnerable groups and to shed light into the pathogenesis of the disease.

Frequency of Systemic Risk Factors in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of various systemic risk factors associated with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) in our setup. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO), Rawalpindi, from July 2011 to June 2014. METHODOLOGY: All consecutive patients with acute CSCR who presented in the outpatient department during the study period were recruited. Clinical findings were endorsed on a pre-devised proforma with special emphasis on inquiring about known systemic risk factors for CSCR in detail from each patient. Patients were managed conservatively with control of modifiable risk factors and topical 0.1% Nepafenac eye drops. Analysis of data was done using SPSS version 13.0. RESULTS: Forty-four eyes of 42 patients were eligible for final analysis. The mean age of study population was 37.38 ±6.31 years with 38 (90.47%) male patients. Elevated serum cortisol and serum testosterone levels were found in 3 and 2 patients, respectively. Known systemic risk factors for CSCR were present in 36 (85.71%) patients with emotional stress/psychiatric disorder 15 (35.71%), Type Apersonality 11 (26.19%), smoking 10 (19.04%), hypertension 5 (11.90%), and acid peptic disease 4 (9.52%) were the most frequently found risk factors. CONCLUSION: Emotional stress/psychiatric illness, hypertension, acid peptic disease and use of exogenous steroids and other medicines are the established risk factors for CSCR that can be modified/withdrawn to reduce the morbidity related to CSCR.

Risk of central serous chorioretinopathy in adults prescribed oral corticosteroids: a population-based study in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence and risk factors for central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) in adults who use oral corticosteroids in Taiwan. METHODS: This is a population-based nested case-control study between 2000 and 2008. From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, adults who were repetitively prescribed oral corticosteroids were included as the study cohort. Of those, newly diagnosed CSCR cases were identified and the CSCR incidence was calculated. Subjects matched for age, gender, and the enrollment time were randomly selected as the controls. Corticosteroids use was compared between the cases and controls. Poisson and conditional logistic regressions were used to analyze the potential risk factors for CSCR. RESULTS: Among 142,035 oral corticosteroids users, 320 cases of CSCR were identified, and 1,554 matched controls were randomly selected. The incidence rate of CSCR was 44.4 (95% confidence interval, 39.5-49.3) cases per 100,000 person-years. Multivariate Poisson regression showed that male patients and those aged 35 years to 44 years had significantly higher incidence rates of CSCR. There were no differences in either median dosage or mean duration of systemic corticosteroid treatment between the cases and controls. After adjusting for other confounders, current use of oral corticosteroids was found to be significantly associated with the risk of CSCR (odds ratio, 2.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.49-3.89). CONCLUSION: Male gender, middle age, and current use of oral corticosteroids were found to be the risk factors for CSCR. However, oral corticosteroids dosage and treatment duration were not associated with the CSCR risk.

The impact of financial crisis on central serous chorioretinopathy in Greece: is there any correlation?

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of economic crisis on central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) incidence in Greece, analyzing data by 3 different ophthalmology units during the period 2005-2012. METHODS: Between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2012, all patients at 3 separate ophthalmology units, i.e., 2 public university clinics and 1 private center, presenting with the diagnosis of acute CSCR, either new cases or recurrent ones, were consecutively enrolled in the study. Patients' data, including age and sex, as well as the date of presentation, were recorded and analyzed. Recurrent cases were also recorded. RESULTS: The study sample included 580 new cases of CSCR (463 male, 117 female) and 97 recurrent cases (84 male, 13 female). The mean age was 48.8 ± 10.3 years (range 25-90). The number of incident as well as recurrent cases increased with more recent years. As expected, the increasing trend of cases and recurrences was reproducible upon the sex-specific analyses. Moreover, the increasing trend of cases and recurrences was reproducible upon the majority of analyses stratified by age. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests a potential impact of financial crisis on CSCR. Our results demonstrated that CSCR incidence, in both new and recurrent cases, has increased during the years of economic crisis in Greece, especially in 2010-2011, implying that CSCR is likely to be associated with stress or other emotional stimuli caused by financial crisis. It is also important to note that the results were similar in public and private units.

Increased risk of erectile dysfunction among males with central serous chorioretinopathy -- a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) mostly affects middle-aged men and has been associated with stress and hypercortisolism. We hypothesized that some factors prone to inducing CSCR could also have a harmful effect on erectile function. This study aimed to investigate the risk of subsequent erectile dysfunction after CSCR using Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. METHODS: The study cohort (n = 1220) consisted of newly diagnosed CSCR men aged 19-64 years between 1999 and 2007, and men matched for age, monthly income and time of enrolment were randomly selected as the control group (n = 10870). Cox proportional hazard regressions were performed to calculate the hazard ratios (HR) of clinically diagnosed erectile dysfunction (including organic origin and/or psychogenic origin) for the two groups. Erectile dysfunction-free survival analysis was assessed using a Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (2.0%) from the CSCR cohort and 103 (0.9%) from the control group were diagnosed erectile dysfunction clinically during a mean observation period of 4.3 years. Patients with CSCR had a significantly higher incidence of erectile dysfunction diagnosis than those without CSCR (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, geographic location, chronic comorbidities and medication habits, patients with CSCR were found to have a 2.22-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.42-3.46] higher hazard ratio of a subsequent erectile dysfunction diagnosis than the matched controls. The adjusted HR for organic and psychogenic erectile dysfunction were 2.14 (95% CI: 1.34-3.44) and 3.83 (95% CI: 1.47-10.01), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Central serous chorioretinopathy was independently associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with erectile dysfunction.