IOVS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2007;48:368-375.)
© 2007 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOI:  10.1167/iovs.06-0182
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nagaoka, T.
Right arrow Articles by Yoshida, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nagaoka, T.
Right arrow Articles by Yoshida, A.

Retinal Circulatory Changes Associated with Interferon-Induced Retinopathy in Patients with Hepatitis C

Taiji Nagaoka,1,2 Eiichi Sato,1 Atsushi Takahashi,1 Shiro Yokohama,3 and Akitoshi Yoshida1

1From the Departments of Ophthalmology and 3Hepatology, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, Japan; and the 2Department of Ophthalmology, Scott and White Eye Institute, Temple, Texas.

PURPOSE. To evaluate the effect of interferon (IFN) therapy on retinal microcirculation.

METHODS. Thirty-six patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with high-dose IFN were included in this prospective study. The changes in vessel diameter and blood velocity were measured, and the retinal blood flow (RBF) and wall shear rate (WSR) were calculated in the retinal arteries before and 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 weeks after IFN therapy by using laser Doppler velocimetry.

RESULTS. Retinal blood velocity, RBF, and WSR significantly (P < 0.0001) increased in all patients, as early as 2 weeks after IFN therapy. The increase in RBF was independently correlated with a decrease in the red blood cell count. In 22 (61%) of the 36 patients asymptomatic retinopathy developed during treatment. In patients with retinopathy, the blood velocity and WSR increased, but the vessel diameter did not change, whereas the vessel diameter increased but the blood velocity and WSR did not change in patients without retinopathy 2 weeks after IFN therapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that patient age and the change in WSR at week 2 were risk factors for the development of IFN-induced retinopathy.

CONCLUSIONS. RBF increases in association with IFN therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. In addition, the increased WSR in patients with retinopathy indicates that retinal vascular endothelial dysfunction may be associated with IFN-induced retinopathy, because wall shear stress should be constant under physiologic conditions.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2007 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology