Choroidal Thickness in Relation to Bone Mineral Density with Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE

To assess whether bone mineral density, indicated by the lumbar X-ray scan, is related to changes in choroid thickness in normal subjects.

METHODS

This study included 355 patients with decreased bone mineral density and 355 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Lumbar BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Choroidal thickness was measured using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Blood pressure (BP), cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were recorded on the same day.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in average choroidal thickness between low BMD subjects and normal subjects (=0.003). The BP, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, and LDL showed no significant difference between the two groups. The correlations showed that average choroidal thicknesses were associated with BMD in the entire population ( = 0.125, =0.001).

CONCLUSION

The choroidal thickness is thinner in low BMD populations compared with normal individuals. There is a strong positive correlation of choroidal thickness with BMD, regardless of age, sex, and other demographic and clinical factors.