title: Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thinning Secondary to Nutritional Folic Acid Deficiency.
abstract: Folic acid has a fundamental role in central nervous system (CNS) function at all ages, especially the methionine synthase-mediated conversion of homocysteine to methionine, which is essential for nucleotide synthesis and genomic and non-genomic methylation. Folic acid and vitamin B12 may have roles in the prevention of disorders of CNS development, mood disorders, and dementias, including Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia in elderly people. The authors examined the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) in patients with nutritional folic acid deficiency using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patients were divided into two groups according to blood folic acid levels: blood folic acid <7 nmol/L as Group 1 and >7 nmol/L as Group 2. Peripapillary RNFL measurements were performed. There were significant positive correlations between serum folate levels and RNFLT in all quadrants (p< 0.05), except for the temportal quadrant (p= 0.41).
authors.affiliation: Erzurum Training and Research Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic Erzurum Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdinç
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ceylan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kafkas University Medical School Merkez, Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ekinci
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University Istanbul Turkey.
authors.forename: Nihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aksu
authors.affiliation: Erzurum Training and Research Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic Erzurum Turkey.
authors.forename: Baki
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kartal
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University Istanbul Turkey.
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tanyıldız
authors.affiliation: Erzurum Training and Research Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic Erzurum Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Çinici
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Atatürk Erzurum Turkey.
authors.forename: Sadullah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keleş
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kafkas Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: H Hüseyin
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Çağatay
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Kafkas Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: Nergiz
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hüseyinoğlu
keywords: Folic acid deficiency; optical coherence tomography; peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness