title: Choroidal thickness in obese women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive weight is a well-known risk factor for microvascular diseases. Changes in thickness in a vascular tissue, such as the choroid, can be useful to evaluate the effect of obesity on the microvascular system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) changes in obese women, using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The prospective clinical study included examination of the right eyes of 72 patients. The right eyes of 68 patients were examined and served as the controls. A complete ophthalmological examination and OCT imaging were performed for each group studied. The CT in each eye was measured using OCT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The obese group consisted of 72 female patients with a mean age of 37.27 ± 1.18 years. The control group included 68 female subjects with a mean age of 37.85 ± 7.98 years (p > 0.05). There was no statistical significant difference for the foveal retinal thickness measurements between the two groups (p > 0.5). Our study revealed significant choroidal tissue thickening subfoveally and at areas 500 μm temporal, 500 μm nasal, and 1500 μm nasal to the fovea in the obese group (all p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between body mass index (BMI) and CT changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT may increase in obese women and a positive correlation was found between BMI and CT. The trial protocol was approved by the Local Ethical Committee of the Kırıkkale University, date of registration: April 27, 2015 (registration number: 10/11).
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kırıkkale University, School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey. erhanyumusak@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yumusak
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kırıkkale University, School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ornek
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Kırıkkale University, School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Senay Arıkan
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Durmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kırıkkale University School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aydin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cifci
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kırıkkale University, School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice Ayhan
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Guler
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kırıkkale University School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zehra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bacanli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Choroidal thickness; Obese women; Optical coherence tomography