title: Choroidal Thickening in Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome.
abstract: Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) is characterised by repetitive episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep, resulting in hypoxaemia and hypercapnia. Ophthalmological consequences such as glaucoma, non-arteritic anterior ischaemic neuropathy and papilloedema are relevant to hypoxaemia. The choroid is a vascular structure that performs several regulatory functions for the retina. Defects in this structure contribute to degenerative, inflammatory, and neovascular changes in the retina. The authors examined the choroidal thickness (CT) in sleep apnoea patients using optical coherence tomograpy (OCT). The sleep apnoea patients were divided into subgroups according to their apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) scores, and statistical analysis was performed using the AHI and minimal arterial oxygen saturation (min. Spo2) values. There was a medium-high negative correlation between CT and AHI (Spearman rho:r= -0.744,p= 0.000), and a positive correlation between CT and min. Spo2values (Pearson correlation:r= 0.308,p= 0.000).
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kafkas Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ekinci
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Kafkas Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: Nergiz
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hüseyinoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kafkas Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hüseyin Çağatay
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Atatürk Erzurum Turkey.
authors.forename: Sadullah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keleş
authors.affiliation: Erzurum Training and Research Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic Erzurum Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdinç
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ceylan
authors.affiliation: Sarıkamış Military Hospital Ophthalmolgy Clinic Kars Turkey.
authors.forename: Gökçen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gökçe
keywords: Choroidal thickness, hypoxia, optical coherence tomography, sleep apnoea syndrome