The Investigation of the Relationship Between Retinal and Choroidal Thickness By Sedimentation Rate for Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Objective: The investigation of the relationship between retinal and choroidal thickness with Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate(ESR) for systematically active ankylosing spondylitis patients without ocular involvement. Materials and Methods: Among the patients being followed-up with a diagnosis of AS in the rheumatology clinic, those with proper conditions who required eye consultation and normal people demographically similar to these patients being inspected in the eye section were included in the study. After blood test, eye examination and OCT measurements were performed within one hour. Central macular thickness(CMT), central subfoveal choroidal thickness(CSCT), and retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) thickness were measured with OCT. Results were obtained with SPSS evaluated for patients with AS compared to normal people and within the group with AS according to ESR level. Results and Conclusion: The mean age of participating patients was 35.8, mean of disease duration was 6.38 years and average ESR level was 18.2mm/H. Average CSCT thickness of patients with AS was 321.00µ, average CMT thickness was 255.56µ and average RNFL thickness was 99.87µ. CSCT, CMT and RNFL thickness of control group participants were as follows: 317.21µ, 259.02µ and 100.98µ. No significant difference was observed with regard to CSCT, CMT and RNFL thickness values between patients with AS and the control group. When patients with AS were evaluated among themselves, a connection between ESR level and CSCT, CMT and RNFL thickness could not be established. In our study, we could not establish a connection between ESR level and CSCT, CMT, and RNFL.