Abstract
PurposeTo evaluate plasma levels of selected cytokines and investigate their correlation with choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with acute and chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).MethodsWe enrolled 30 patients with acute CSC, 30 patients with chronic CSC and 20 controls. Plasma concentrations of 12 cytokines, interleukins IL‐8, IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐10 and IL‐12 p70, granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, interferon‐γ, tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), were measured using multiplex immunoassays. Differences in cytokine levels between groups were assessed. We also investigated correlations between cytokine levels and CT using swept‐source optical coherence tomography, as well as an association between plasma cytokine profile and systemic hypertension.ResultsWe noted differences in IL‐6 (p = 0.005), IL‐10 (p = 0.03), IL‐12 p70 (p = 0.028) and VEGF (p = 0.029) levels between groups. Pro‐inflammatory IL‐12 p70 and multidirectional IL‐10 cytokines were upregulated, while pro‐angiogenic VEGF was downregulated in chronic CSC as compared with controls (p = 0.005, p = 0.025 and p = 0.027, respectively). Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) was upregulated in acute and chronic CSC (p = 0.030 and p = 0.005, respectively). Interleukin‐5 (IL‐5), IL‐6 and IL‐12 levels correlated with mean CT in acute CSC (p = 0.008, p = 0.003 and p = 0.044, respectively), while IL‐8, IL‐6 and TNF‐α plasma levels correlated with hypertension in chronic CSC (p = 0.005, p = 0.033 and p = 0.001, respectively).ConclusionWe provided new evidence for the possible role of plasma cytokines in the pathogenesis of CSC. Our results suggest that IL‐6 may be important in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic CSC. The association between inflammatory response and hypertension in patients with CSC was also confirmed.
Highlights
Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is the fourth most common retinopathy after age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion (Wang et al 2008)
The aim of this study was to analyse the potential role of plasma cytokines: interleukins IL-8, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL5, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 p70, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon-c, tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic CSC
The diagnosis of CSC was based on characteristic fundus findings, fluorescein angiography (FA), fundus autofluorescence and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT)
Summary
Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is the fourth most common retinopathy after age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion (Wang et al 2008). The disease is characterized by the presence of serous subretinal fluid, retinal pigment epithelial damage, as well as dilated choroidal vessels (so-called pachyvessels) and their hyperpermeability on indocyanine green angiography (Jirarattanasopa et al 2012; Cheung et al 2019; van Haalen et al 2020). As the pathogenesis of CSC has not been fully elucidated (Daruich et al 2015), there is currently no effective treatment (Pociej-Marciak et al 2016; Lee et al 2019). Numerous studies have emphasized the key role of choroidal thickness (CT) in the pathogenesis of CSC, which is nowadays considered as one of the pachychoroid diseases (Kim et al 2011; Sakurada et al 2018)
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