Evaluation of choroidal thickness in psoriasis using optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with potential systemic manifestations.
• Ocular involvement in psoriasis, such as uveitis, is known.
• Choroidal thickness (CT) is a potential biomarker for inflammatory conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with psoriasis.
• To compare CT in psoriasis patients versus healthy controls.
• To determine the relationship between CT and psoriasis activity indices.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 35 psoriasis patients and 30 healthy controls.
• Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) for CT measurement in the subfoveal area.
• Correlation analysis with disease duration and clinical disease activity score.

Main Results:

• Choroidal thickness (CT) was significantly higher in psoriasis patients compared to controls (p < 0.001).
• Central foveal thickness was comparable between groups (p = 0.672).
• No significant correlation was found between CT, disease activity score, and disease duration (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Psoriasis patients exhibit increased choroidal thickness.
• EDI-OCT may help understand ocular effects and pathophysiology of psoriasis.
• Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm these findings.