Risk of retinopathy in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension: a nationwide population-based cohort study of 9-year follow-up after delivery.

BACKGROUND: The retina is potentially associated with several physiological, hormonal, and metabolic changes during pregnancy. The few available epidemiologic studies of ocular changes in pregnancy have mainly concerned retinopathies. Pregnancy-induced hypertension, which leads to ocular manifestations including blurred vision, photopsia, scotoma, and diplopia, might induce reactive changes in the retinal vessels. Although several studies have suggested the existence of pregnancy-induced hypertension-related retinal ocular disease, there are few large cohort studies on this topic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the risk of major retinal diseases including central serous chorioretinopathy, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, retinal artery occlusion, and hypertensive retinopathy in the long-term postpartum stage according to the presence of previous pregnancy-induced hypertension in a large cohort based on the Korean National Health Insurance Database. STUDY DESIGN: On the basis of Korean health data, 909,520 patients who delivered from 2012 to 2013 were analyzed. Among them, patients who had previous ocular diseases or hypertension and multiple births were excluded. Finally, 858,057 mothers were assessed for central serous chorioretinopathy (ICD-10: H35.70), diabetic retinopathy (ICD-10: H36.0, E10.31, E10.32, E11.31, E11.32, E12.31, E13.31, E13.32, E14.31, E14.32), retinal vein occlusion (ICD-10: H34.8), retinal artery occlusion (ICD-10: H34.2), and hypertensive retinopathy (ICD-10: H35.02) for 9 years after delivery. Enrolled patients were divided into 2 groups: 10,808 patients with and 847,249 without pregnancy-induced hypertension. The primary outcomes were the incidence of central serous chorioretinopathy, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, retinal artery occlusion, and hypertensive retinopathy 9 years after delivery. Clinical variables were age, parity, cesarean delivery, gestational diabetes mellitus, and postpartum hemorrhage. In addition, pregestational diabetes mellitus, kidney diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and cardiovascular diseases were adjusted. RESULTS: Postpartum retinal disease during the 9 years after delivery and total retinal diseases showed higher rates in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension. In detail, the rates of central serous chorioretinopathy (0.3% vs 0.1%), diabetic retinopathy (1.79% vs 0.5%), retinal vein occlusion (0.19% vs 0.1%), and hypertensive retinopathy (0.62% vs 0.05%) were higher than those found in patients without pregnancy-induced hypertension. After adjusting for confounding factors, pregnancy-induced hypertension was associated with development of postpartum retinopathy, with a >2-fold increase (hazard ratio, 2.845; 95% confidence interval, 2.54-3.188). Furthermore, pregnancy-induced hypertension affected the development of central serous chorioretinopathy (hazard ratio, 3.681; 95% confidence interval, 2.667-5.082), diabetic retinopathy (hazard ratio, 2.326; 95% confidence interval, 2.013-2.688), retinal vein occlusion (hazard ratio, 2.241; 95% confidence interval, 1.491-3.368), and hypertensive retinopathy (hazard ratio, 11.392; 95% confidence interval, 8.771-14.796) after delivery. CONCLUSION: A history of pregnancy-induced hypertension increases the risk of central serous chorioretinopathy, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and hypertensive retinopathy according to 9-year long-term ophthalmologic follow-up.

Choroidal Thickness is Increased following Restraint Stress in Rats.

PURPOSE: Central serous chorioretinopathy is a stress-induced disease and often shows pachychoroid; however, the relationship between stress and choroid remains unlear. The purpose of this study was to investigate, using optical coherence tomography, whether the choroid thickens when rats are subjected to restraint stress. METHODS: Eight-week-old male F334/Jcl rats were subjected to 30 min of restraint stress, and choroidal thickness was measured before and after stress loading using optical coherence tomography. In addition, salivary corticosterone levels were measured before and after stress loading. RESULTS: Choroidal thickness was significantly increased from 30.1 ± 6.4 µm to 39.7 ± 9.2 µm just after stress loading (p = 0.001). Significant choroidal thickening was not observed on the next day. The salivary corticosterone concentration increased from 1575.3 ± 1040.6 pg/mL before stress loading to 6022.2 ± 6742.6 pg/mL after stress loading, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal thickness increased when rats were subjected to restraint stress, supporting the hypothesis that stress is one of the causes of pachychoroid spectrum disease, as exemplified by central serous chorioretinopathy.

Vigorous Physical Activity as a Risk Factor for Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether frequent vigorous physical activity (PA) is significantly associated with active central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) and may represent a risk factor for CSCR. DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: This was a multicenter study. The patient population comprised consecutive patients with active CSCR and a comparable control group of healthy participants. Both groups were interrogated about their PA using a shortened version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The Ainsworth Compendium of Physical Activities was taken as a reference for the activities requiring vigorous effort and to quantify the energy expended, expressed in metabolic equivalent of task (MET). As a main outcome measure, a moderate/high practice of vigorous PA was opposed to an absent/low practice of vigorous PA in the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 105 patients with CSCR and 105 healthy controls were included in the study. Moderate/high vigorous PA was observed in 63.5% of the patients with CSCR and in 26% of the controls (P = .0001). The MET values of vigorous PA were 2173.2 ± 2081.5 in the CSCR group and 1216.3 ± 524 in the control group (P = .029). The potential risk of disease associated with moderate/high vigorous PA was 5.58 (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval 3.01-10.69, P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a significant association of vigorous PA with CSCR, indicating an increased probability of disease by 5.58 times. Frequent and intense PA, with the hypertensive episodes that it entails, can break the precarious hemodynamic balance in the choroid of individuals predisposed to CSCR, thereby favoring choroidal vascular decompensation and active disease.

Choroidal arteriovenous anastomoses: a hypothesis for the pathogenesis of central serous chorioretinopathy and other pachychoroid disease spectrum abnormalities.

The pachychoroid disease spectrum (PDS) includes several chorioretinal diseases that share specific choroidal abnormalities. Although their pathophysiological basis is poorly understood, diseases that are part of the PDS have been hypothesized to be the result of venous congestion. Within the PDS, central serous chorioretinopathy is the most common condition associated with vision loss, due to an accumulation of subretinal fluid in the macula. Central serous chorioretinopathy is characterized by distinct risk factors, most notably a high prevalence in males and exposure to corticosteroids. Interestingly, sex differences and corticosteroids are also strongly associated with specific types of arteriovenous anastomoses in the human body, including dural arteriovenous fistula and surgically created arteriovenous shunts. In this manuscript, we assess the potential of such arteriovenous anastomoses in the choroid as a causal mechanism of the PDS. We propose how this may provide a novel unifying concept on the pathophysiological basis of the PDS, and present cases in which this mechanism may play a role.

Relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: A Health Insurance Database Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). METHODS: A retrospective, cohort, longitudinal study was conducted using the national health insurance database in Taiwan between 1996 and 2013. Patients diagnosed with OSA were enrolled after exclusion, and a control group with similar age, gender, and major systemic co-morbidities were included in a 1:1 ratio by propensity score matching. The primary outcome is the occurrence of CSCR, and patients with CSCR were categorized via severity for further analysis. The percentage of incident CSCR in the OSA group and control groups and the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of CSCR were determined by Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: There were 13,084 patients enrolled in both the OSA group and control groups, respectively. The total event of CSCR was 50 (0.4%) in the OSA group and 25 (0.2%) in the control group (P < .001). Moreover, the OSA group has an increased aHR of 1.9 (P = .012) for developing CSCR. In the subgroup analysis, patients with OSA aged from 30 to 39 and 50 to 59 demonstrated higher risk of developing CSCR compared to the control group, and the presence of OSA would lead to a higher incidence of mild CSCR (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: OSA patients aged from 30 to 39 and 50 to 59 have a higher risk of developing CSCR, while the severity of CSCR will not be worsen by OSA.

Ocular Adverse Events following Yellow Fever Vaccination: A Case Series.

PURPOSE: To describe four cases of ocular adverse events resembling intraocular inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions following yellow fever vaccination (YFV) during a recent yellow fever (YF) outbreak in Brazil. METHODS: Charts of patients diagnosed with ocular adverse events after YFV between January 2017 and January 2019 at two tertiary referral centers in Brazil. RESULTS: Four patients (two adults and two children) are reported. Case 1 presented with typical findings of central serous chorioretinopathy which resolved spontaneously; case 2 was diagnosed with acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease; cases 3 and 4 had bilateral diffuse retinal vasculitis. In the absence of infectious and noninfectious disorders, the temporal association between stand-alone YFV and onset of ocular symptoms within 15 days was interpreted as evidence of causation. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of the wide spectrum of possible ocular adverse reactions to stand-alone YFV.

[Bilateral central serous chorioretinopathy post-COVID-19]. / Choriorétinopathie séreuse centrale bilatérale post-COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can result in many ocular manifestations. We report a rare case of bilateral central serous chorioretinopathy post-infection with COVID-19 in a 38-year-old woman who presented with bilateral blurred vision 1 month after infection with COVID-19. She reported fever, cough, and shortness of breath and was COVID-PCR positive. During her 10-day hospital stay, she received oxygen, antibiotics, heparin and corticosteroids intravenously and then orally. After her recovery from COVID-19, the patient developed progressive visual loss in both eyes: her corrected visual acuity was 3/10 in both eyes, the anterior segment was normal, and the vitreous was clear. Fundus examination, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography showed bilateral serous retinal detachments. Her course was characterized by improvement in visual acuity and regression of the retinal detachments. Central serous chorioretinopathy can occur after COVID-19 infection due to the administration of corticosteroids; thus, ophthalmologic examination is essential to detect ocular involvement as early as possible.

Increased risk for central serous chorioretinopathy in nephrotic syndrome patients: A population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is characterized by various etiologies that damage the glomerulus. Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a retinal disease characterized by neurosensory detachment of the retina. Several case reports have described the relationship between both. Therefore, we try to analyze the epidemiological associations between NS and CSCR using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. METHODS: Data spanning 14 years were extracted from the National Health Insurance Research Database and sub-grouped. The variables were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test. The risk factors for disease development with or without comorbidities were examined using an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR). Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the cumulative incidence of CSCR with or without NS. RESULTS: A total of 14 794 patients with NS and 14 794 matched controls without NS were enrolled in this cohort study. The incidence rate of CSCR was higher in the study cohort than in the control cohort (aHR = 3.349, p < 0.001). The overall incidence of CSCR was 44.51 per 100 000 person-years in the study cohort and 33.39 per 100 000 person-years in the control cohort. In both groups, CSCR occurred more frequently in males than in females. Patients aged 40-49, 50-59, and ≥60 years in the study cohort had a significantly higher risk of developing CSCR than those in the control cohort (aHR = 3.445, 5.421, and 4.957, all p < 0.001). NS patient with a 4-week history of steroid usage has a higher risk of developing CSCR (aHR = 2.010, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data showed that patients with NS have an increased risk of developing subsequent CSCR. Physician should routinely refer their NS patients to ophthalmologist for ophthalmic evaluation. This is the first nationwide epidemiological study reporting the association between these two diseases. Further studies are needed to clarify this relationship.

Central serous chorioretinopathy in active endogenous Cushing's syndrome.

Multiple case series have provided evidence for a relatively high incidence of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in patients with active Cushing's syndrome (CS). We describe the ophthalmological status in detail of consecutive patients with active endogenous CS (either de novo or recurrent active endogenous CS) in this prospective cohort study. All patients underwent complete ophthalmological examination, including multimodal imaging, which was performed shortly after establishing the diagnosis of active CS in hypercortisolemic state. Eleven CS patients (4 men, 7 women) with active hypercortisolism were included. Abnormalities reminiscent of (subclinical) CSC were found in 3 patients. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed macular subretinal fluid in 1 patient, who was diagnosed as having active CSC and was successfully treated with half-dose photodynamic therapy. Two other patients showed CSC-like abnormalities: an unilateral pseudovitelliform lesion on OCT and hyperfluorescent changes on fluorescein angiography in one patient, and unilateral leakage on fluorescein angiography in the other patient. Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness on enhanced depth imaging OCT was 270 ± 40 µm (range, 178 - 357 µm). Retinal abnormalities resembling (subclinical) CSC may be more common than previously thought in patients with active CS, and may exist even in patients without visual complaints. Clinicians should have a low threshold for ophthalmological evaluation in case of a CS patient with visual symptoms since there may be therapeutic opportunities to prevent vision loss.

Optical coherence tomography angiography for the diagnosis of granulomatosis with polyangiitis with serous retinal detachment: A case report.

RATIONALE: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. GPA affects multiple ocular tissues, most commonly the orbit, conjunctiva, cornea, and sclera. Retinal and choroidal manifestations are rare in GPA, but they often include choroidal neovascularization (CNV). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 36-year-old man was diagnosed with GPA. He had been taking oral steroid treatment for 8 years. He experienced disease recurrence and the dose of oral prednisolone was increased after steroid pulse therapy. Fundus examination showed small retinal pigment epithelial detachment and serous retinal detachment (SRD). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed a protruded lesion inside the SRD. Fluorescein angiography (FA) showed a small, dot-shaped fluorescein leakage in the SRD, and indocyanine green fluorescein fundus angiography showed choroidal vascular hyperpermeability that was consistent with the hyperfluorescence seen with FA. We had to determine whether the protruded lesion inside the SRD was CNV secondary to the inflammation due to GPA or whether it was central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC)-like condition caused by high-dose steroid treatment. DIAGNOSES: We confirmed that the SRD was due to CSC but not CNV because the protruded lesion examined by B-scan OCT angiography (OCTA) showed no blood flow. INTERVENTIONS: We decided to reduce the dose of steroid. OUTCOMES: Since the reduction of steroids, no sign of worsening in the protruded lesions with SRD has been observed. LESSONS: We therefore propose the effectiveness of this advanced function of OCTA for the examination of blood flow signal images to detect CNV.

Central serous chorioretinopathy secondary to solar retinopathy: an unusual presentation.

Solar retinopathy (SR) results from unprotected solar eclipse viewing and also from gazing at the sun for a long duration. It has been known for a long that direct viewing of the sun causes visual disruption. Usually, there is a disruption of the inner segment-outer segment junction, but an association of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) with SR is quite rare. We report a case of CSCR associated with solar eclipse viewing.

PERIPHERAL EXUDATIVE HEMORRHAGIC CHORIORETINOPATHY-A NEW ADDITION TO THE SPECTRUM OF PACHYCHOROID DISEASE?

PURPOSE: To demonstrate choroidal vascular changes and report a novel choroidal thickness contour in eyes with peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy (PEHCR). METHODS: Retrospective, observational, comparative case series. Fourteen eyes of nine patients with PEHCR and 14 eyes of 14 age-matched and sex-matched controls underwent swept-source optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thickness was measured from posterior edge of the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane to choroidoscleral interface at 11 points 1,000 µm apart. Large choroidal vessel thickness was also measured. RESULTS: In PEHCR group, the choroid was thinnest at 3 mm nasal to fovea (mean 95.3 ± 33.5 µm) and thickest at 7 mm temporal to fovea (mean 272.7 ± 80.2 µm), with gradual increase in choroidal thickness from nasal to temporal periphery. The choroid was thickest subfoveally (259.7 ± 63.8 µm) in the control group. The choroid was significantly thicker in temporal periphery in PEHCR eyes as compared to controls (P = 0.0002). The mean large choroidal vessel thickness was 202.4 ± 50.8 µm in the PEHCR group and 160.6 ± 40.5 µm in the control group (P = 0.0235). CONCLUSION: Peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy eyes showed progressively increasing choroidal thickness toward the temporal periphery, compared with age-matched and sex-matched controls. This gave rise to a club-shaped choroidal contour compared with the bowl-shaped contour seen in control eyes. Thicker choroid and pachyvessels favor inclusion of PEHCR in the pachychoroid disease spectrum.

Central serous chorioretinopathy and antiphospholipid syndrome: Three cases report.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune disease characterized by recurrent venous or arterial thrombotic events and pregnancy morbidity, with persistently presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). We report three cases of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) associated with APS.

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.

Bullous central serous chorioretinopathy and retinal pigment epithelium sequelae postblunt trauma.

A 68-year-old man presented with diminution of distance and near vision in the right eye for a duration of 1 month postblunt trauma with a stick. On examination, his visual acuity in the right eye was 20/320 and near vision was

Pachychoroid disease: a new perspective on exudative maculopathy.

BACKGROUND: Pachychoroid, or the structural and functional abnormalities of the choroid, is one of the most important causes of exudative maculopathies. The purpose of this article is to review the current definitions of pachychoroid and their potential consequences. Most publications are from Asian countries. Although no consensus diagnosis has been reached, pachychoroid is defined by thickened choroid and choroidal vascular hyperpermeability, pachyvessels with inner choroidal attenuation; it is closely linked to pachydrusen. Although some studies suggest choroidal congestion may play a role in its pathogenesis, the exact causes of this condition are still unknown. Pachychoroid is associated with exudative maculopathies including central serous chorioretinopathy, pachychoroid neovasculopathy and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). It is widely accepted that macular neovascular membranes may develop secondary to pachychoroid. Recent clinical observations illustrate the importance of pachychoroid in the etiology of macular neovascularization including neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). CONCLUSION: Pachychoroid is an important cause of exudative maculopathies. Both drusen and pachychoroid are increasingly recognized as important causes of macular neovascularization, and eyes formally categorized as typical nAMD or PCV can be further sub-categorized based on the presence or absence of pachychoroid and drusen. There is a need to develop a consensus definition, which will greatly enhance our understanding of pachychoroid and facilitate the development of individual interventions in pachychoroid diseases.