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Examination of the Corneal Endothelium in Pediatric Patients With COVID-19
Gizem Gürbostan Soysal1, Sevim Ayça Seyyar, Sabit Kimyon
1Ersin Arslan Education and Research Hospital Ophthalmology Department (G.G.S.), Gaziantep, Turkey; and Gaziantep University Hospital Ophthalmology Department (S.A.S., S.K., A.M., K.G.), Gaziantep, Turkey.
Insights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in children was linked to changes in corneal endothelial cells. Specular microscopy revealed decreased hexagonality and increased cell variation in affected children, indicating potential corneal effects.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Corneal endothelium health is crucial for maintaining corneal clarity and function.
- The impact of systemic viral infections, including COVID-19, on ocular tissues requires further investigation, particularly in pediatric populations.
- Specular microscopy is a key diagnostic tool for evaluating corneal endothelial cell morphology and density.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the specific effects of COVID-19 infection on the corneal endothelium in pediatric patients.
- To compare corneal endothelial cell parameters between children with and without COVID-19.
- To assess potential long-term ocular implications of COVID-19 in children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 46 pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 38 healthy controls.
- Specular microscopy was performed to evaluate corneal endothelial cell characteristics.
- Key parameters analyzed included endothelial cell density, hexagonality (HEX), coefficient of variation (CV), central corneal thickness, and mean cell area.
Main Results:
- Children with COVID-19 showed a statistically significant decrease in corneal endothelial hexagonality (HEX) compared to healthy controls (P=0.011).
- A significant increase in the coefficient of variation (CV) of endothelial cell size was observed in the COVID-19 group (P=0.003).
- No significant differences were noted in mean endothelial cell density or central corneal thickness between the groups.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 infection in children is associated with measurable alterations in corneal endothelial cell structure, specifically reduced hexagonality and increased cell size variability.
- These findings highlight the potential for COVID-19 to affect ocular health in pediatric patients, necessitating further research into the mechanisms and clinical significance.
- Specular microscopy can serve as a valuable tool for detecting subclinical corneal changes in children post-COVID-19 infection.
Purpose:
To investigate the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on the corneal endothelium in children.
Methods:
This retrospective study included 46 pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection and 38 healthy controls. Specular microscopy measurements were analyzed, and measurements were obtained from images showing at least 100 cells with clear borders. Mean endothelial cell density, mean hexagonal cell percentage (HEX), mean coefficient of variation (CV), central corneal thickness, and mean cell area were evaluated.
Results:
Specular microscopy data showed that the CV values were 2.442±6.517 in the healthy control group (HCG) and 2.659±5.119 in the COVID-19-affected group (CAG) ( P =0.003). The hexagonality of the HCG and CAG were 6.916±8.271 and 6.683±5.885, respectively ( P =0.011).
Conclusion:
A decrease in the HEX and an increase in the CV were observed in the corneal specular microscopic examination of children with COVID-19 infection. These results are important in demonstrating the corneal effects of COVID-19 infection in children.
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