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The long-term effect of human immunodeficiency virus infection on retinal microvasculature and the ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer: an OCT angiography study

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the long-term effect of HIV infection on the ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer and retinal capillary network.

Methods

This prospective, cross-sectional case-control study included 45 HIV-infected patients and 45 healthy individuals. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used for the assessment of macular, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses, ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer, vessel density, perfusion density, and foveal avascular zone.

Results

The mean disease duration was 7.3 ± 1.9 years (range, 5–12 years) in the HIV group. The mean CD4 count (nadir) for all the patients was 147.09 ± 122 cells/mm3 and the mean RNA was 173.6 ± 913.8 copies/ml. No statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in respect of the average and foveal MT (p = 0.05). A significant difference was found between the two groups in respect of the mean VD and PD parameters (p < 0.05). Peripapillary PD was significantly decreased in the HIV group. There was a significant difference between the average and superior and inferior half-region of GC-IPL values. Using Pearson’s correlation analysis, no significant correlation was determined between the duration of HIV infection and mean GC-IPL, MT and VD, and PD values (r − 0.223, p 0.141; r − 0.223, p 0.141; r − 0.169, p 0.268; r − 0.105, p 0.491; r − 0.095, p 0.535 respectively).

Conclusions

The results of this study provide evidence of microvascular and neuroretinal loss in individuals with well-suppressed HIV infection, compared with healthy control subjects. OCTA is an important test for the screening of retinal microvascular changes over time in HIV-infected cases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, İzmir Katip Çelebi University Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, 35200, İzmir, Turkey

    Berkay Akmaz, Fahrettin Akay & Yusuf Ziya Güven

  2. Department of Infectious Diseases, İzmir Katip Çelebi University Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Turkey

    Figen Kaptan & Tuna Demirdal

Authors
  1. Berkay Akmaz
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  2. Fahrettin Akay
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  3. Yusuf Ziya Güven
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  4. Figen Kaptan
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Correspondence to Fahrettin Akay.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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IKCU Ethics Board 14.02.2019/19. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the IKCU Ethics Board and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Akmaz, B., Akay, F., Güven, Y.Z. et al. The long-term effect of human immunodeficiency virus infection on retinal microvasculature and the ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer: an OCT angiography study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 258, 1671–1676 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04749-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04749-x

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