Twenty-four-hour Blood Pressure Monitoring in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy – A Case-control Study

Abstract

Purpose:A case-control study to explore the diurnal variation of blood pressure (BP) in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR).Methods:One-hundred patients (50 cases with central serous chorioretinopathy and 50 age- and sex-matched controls) participated in this study. Twenty-four-hour BP was recorded by auscultatory method using manual standard mercury sphygmomanometer by a single, trained observer. Hypertension was categorised according to the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-VII) classification.Results:Mean systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) in cases and controls were 123.4 mmHg (range 112.3–134.6), 81.72 mmHg (range 73.0–90.5); 118.33 mmHg (range 108.4–128.2); and 77.50 mmHg (range 71.4–83.6), respectively. The difference in SBP and DBP was statistically significant at p=0.02 for the former and p=0.006 for the latter. The mean difference in maximum and minimum SBP in cases was 18 (±15.81) mmHg versus 9.04 (±3.08) mmHg in controls (p=0.001). Mean difference for DBP in cases was 15.16 (±7.86) mmHg versus 9.16 (±3.68) mmHg in controls (0.001). On the JNC-VII classification scale for hypertension, 66 % of cases were found to be pre-hypertensive (60 %) or hypertensive (6 %). Comparative figures for controls were pre-hypertension (30 %) and hypertension (2 %). The mean SBP and DBP was consistently higher in patients with CSCR compared with controls over the entire 24-hour period. The difference in variation between maximum and minimum SBP and DBP was also found to be statistically significant between the groups.Conclusion:A significant correlation exists between higher values BP and central serous chorioretinopathy. Screening of CSCR patients for pre-hypertension may be useful in decreasing the risk of progression to established hypertension, with its associated risks.