Diffuse Retinal Epitheliopathy Research Articles

PACHYCHOROID: an inherited condition?

Thick choroid (pachychoroid) is associated with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), but whether pachychoroid is inherited is unknown. In a prospective observational study, first- or second-degree relatives (16 individuals) of 5 patients with CSC had refraction and visual acuity measurement, fundus examination, nonmydriatic photography, and autofluorescence photography. Eyes were graded using the following criteria: 0: normal fundus and autofluorescence photography, 1: focal retinal pigment epithelium hyperfluorescence and/or hypofluorescence and/or retinal pigment epithelial detachment, 2: CSC or diffuse retinal epitheliopathy. Choroid thickness was measured by enhanced depth imaging mode on optical coherence tomography. Considering 395 μm as the threshold limit for normal subfoveal choroidal thickness, 50% of the eyes from relatives had a thick choroid. Nine eyes of Grade 0 (28%) with an isolated pachychoroid would thus have been considered normal, if choroidal thickness was not included as a screening sign predisposing for CSC. Our observation suggests that pachychoroid could be an inherited condition with potentially a dominant transmission mode. Its inclusion in the phenotype of CSC for genetic studies should be considered.

Prévalence de l’ Helicobacter pylori dans la choriorétinopathie séreuse centrale et l’épithéliopathie rétinienne diffuse : Étude complémentaire

In 2001, Mauget-Faysse et al. found a prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection of 56.3% in 16 patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and diffuse retinal epitheliopathy (DRE). This prevalence was twice that of the French population. This complementary study aimed to verify these results.and method: Between 1996 and 2002, 78 patients living in the southeast of France with CSC/DRE were included in this study. H. pylori infection was assessed by the 13C-urea breath test. Diagnosis was confirmed by fundus biomicroscopy, fluorescein and ICG angiographies and retinal OCT scans (from 2002). Results were analyzed with the Chi2test.Out of 78 patients, there were 60 males (76.9%) and 18 females (23.1%), with a mean age of 53 years (range, 29-80 years); 27 had CSC (34.6%) and 51 had DRE (65.4%). H. pylori infection was detected as positive in 31 patients (39.7%) and negative in 47 (60.3%). Men were detected positive in 43.3% of cases, compared to women detected positive in only 27.8%. The difference in prevalence of H. pylori between the study population (39.7%) and the overall population of 58,419,710 inhabitants of France in 1999 (25.4%) was found statistically highly significant (p = 0.0036).and conclusion: These results may indicate a possible association between H. pylori infection and CSC/DRE manifestations. These data confirm the first results of the 2001 prospective pilot study and also show a higher prevalence of H. pylori infection in men than in women.