Case-control study evaluates retinal and choroidal circulation in transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients, indicating possible ocular changes due to iron overload.
Key Points
The study evaluates retinal and choroidal microcirculation changes in transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients due to systemic iron overload.
Case-control study with 66 eyes from 33 TDβT patients and 66 eyes from healthy controls.
Retinal and choroidal structures were evaluated using Spectral-Domain OCT and OCT-Angiography.
Systemic iron overload was assessed using serum ferritin and MRI-T2* of the liver and heart.
Choriocapillaris vascular density was significantly lower in TDβT patients compared to controls (p < 0.001).
Ferritin levels showed positive correlations with central macular thickness (CMT), superficial (SCP) and choriocapillaris (CC) vascular density within the patient group.
Patients with moderate liver iron overload exhibited trends towards increased choroidal parameters, although significance was lost after correction.