Endothelin-1 Serum Concentration is Lower in Children and Adolescents with High Myopia, a Preliminary Study.

Katarzyna Powierza,Bożena Mikołuć,Beata Żelazowska-Rutkowska,Bogdan Cylwik,Alina Bakunowicz-Łazarczyk,Beata Urban,Wojciech Zaremba,Jolanta Sawicka-Powierza

doi:10.3390/jcm9051327

Katarzyna Powierza, Bożena Mikołuć + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9051327

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the levels of enothelin-1 (ET-1) in children and adolescents with high myopia and its association with the axial length of the eye and the presence of myopic retinal degeneration. The cross-sectional study was carried out in 57 patients with high myopia and 29 control subjects. Serum concentrations of ET-1 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. A significantly lower concentration of ET-1 in highly myopic patients compared to controls was found (1.47 (0.91; 1.87) vs. 1.94 (1.1; 2.69) pg/mL, p = 0.005). In patients with high myopia, a weak negative correlation between ET-1 concentration and the longest axial length out of the two eyes was found (r = −0.255, p = 0.0558). Further analysis revealed statistically significant differences in ET-1 concentration between patients with the axial length of the eye > 26 and ≤ 26 mm (p < 0.041) and patients with the axial length of the eye > 26 mm and controls (p < 0.001). ET-1 expression is disturbed in highly myopic children and adolescents. Lower ET-1 concentration in patients with the axial length of the eye > 26 mm may co-occur with high myopia and should be considered a risk factor in the pathophysiology of high myopia progression.

Highlights

Myopia is one of the most common eye disorders in the world and its prevalence remains higher in Asia (60%) compared with Europe (40%)
The cross-sectional study was conducted among children and adolescents with high myopia and healthy controls who were recruited from the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland
Statistically significantly lower concentration of ET-1 in patients with high myopia compared to controls was demonstrated

Summary

Introduction

Myopia is one of the most common eye disorders in the world and its prevalence remains higher in Asia (60%) compared with Europe (40%). Studies report high prevalence rates in schoolchildren in East Asia (73%) and North America (42%). Risk factors for myopia in schoolchildren include limited outdoor time, dim light exposure, use of LED lamps for homework, insufficient amount of sleep, reading distance less than 25 cm, and living in an urban environment [1]. Pathological or high myopia is usually defined as spherical equivalent (SE) ≥ −6.00 diopters (D) or the axial length of the eye > 26 mm. This type of myopia is a public health and economic challenge because of its association with potentially blinding complications such as glaucoma, retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, and blindness [2,3,4]. In recent years the occurrence of high myopia has increased at an alarming rate in adults and elevated intraocular pressure is a risk factor for high myopia [5]

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