Increased systemic oxidative stress in patients with keratoconus.

PURPOSE

To establish the effect of systemic oxidative stress on the pathogenesis of keratoconus by measuring serum total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) in patients with keratoconus.

METHODS

Twenty-five patients with keratoconus (keratoconus group) and 25 age-sex-matched healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled in the study. Exclusion criteria were smoking habit, history of any other corneal pathology, systemic disease or inflammation, and current antioxidant or anti-inflammatory therapies. All participants underwent a detailed ophthalmological examination and corneal topography. Serum samples were obtained from all participants. Oxidative stress markers (TAS and TOS) were measured using a commercial kit and oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated.

RESULTS

The study comprised 25 patients with keratoconus (mean age of 26.4±1.7 years) and 25 healthy control subjects (mean age of 26.6±1.7 years) (P>0.05). The serum TOS and OSI values were significantly higher in patients with keratoconus compared with those of the controls (P=0.036 and 0.037, respectively). However, serum TAS did not show significant difference between the keratoconus and control groups (P=0.497).

CONCLUSIONS

The higher levels of serum oxidant status and OSI in patients with keratoconus suggest that systemic oxidative stress might be involved in the pathogenesis of keratoconus.