Kal Magdalena, Brzdęk Michał, Karska-Basta Izabella, Rzymski Piotr, Pinna Antonio, Winiarczyk Mateusz, Mackiewicz Jerzy, Odrobina Dominik, Zarębska-Michaluk Dorota
Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, 25-317, Poland.
Ophthalmic Clinic, the Voivodeship Hospital in Kielce, Kielce, Poland.
Pharmacol Rep. 2025 May 26. doi: 10.1007/s43440-025-00738-1.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been associated with endothelial dysfunction, which may also compromise the microcirculation within ocular tissues. This prospective study evaluated associations between radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) vessel density (VD) and systemic treatment, age, hypoxia, D-dimer, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in patients recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related pneumonia.
Sixty-three individuals who were admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19 bilateral pneumonia underwent ophthalmic examination two months post-discharge. RPC VD was measured using optical coherence tomography angiography. Associations with age, arterial hypertension, and systemic treatment (dexamethasone, remdesivir, and oxygen therapy), oxygen saturation, D-dimer, and IL-6 levels were evaluated. The control group comprised 43 control participants with no history of COVID-19 who attended routine ophthalmic examinations.
No ophthalmic abnormalities were detected. RPC VD did not differ significantly with hypertension or systemic treatment with dexamethasone and remdesivir. However, patients receiving oxygen therapy had higher RPC VD. A borderline inverse correlation was observed between inferior RPC VD and age. There were no correlations between RPC VD and oxygen saturation. Significant inverse correlations were found between nasal RPC and mean RPC with D-dimer levels and between inferior RPC VD and IL-6 levels. No significant differences in RPC parameters were observed when comparing the COVID-19 group with controls.
Hypertension or systemic treatment had no significant effect on RCP VD. However, VD in specific RPC areas correlated inversely with D-dimer and IL-6 levels, highlighting the need for monitoring peripapillary microvasculature for potential long-term ocular effects of COVID-19.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）与内皮功能障碍有关，这也可能损害眼组织内的微循环。这项前瞻性研究评估了2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）相关肺炎康复患者的放射状视乳头周围毛细血管（RPC）血管密度（VD）与全身治疗、年龄、缺氧、D-二聚体和白细胞介素-6（IL-6）水平之间的关联。
63例因COVID-19双侧肺炎入院的患者在出院后两个月接受眼科检查。使用光学相干断层扫描血管造影测量RPC VD。评估其与年龄、动脉高血压、全身治疗（地塞米松、瑞德西韦和氧疗）、血氧饱和度、D-二聚体和IL-6水平的关联。对照组包括43名无COVID-19病史且接受常规眼科检查的对照参与者。
未检测到眼科异常。RPC VD在高血压或使用地塞米松和瑞德西韦进行全身治疗时无显著差异。然而，接受氧疗的患者RPC VD较高。观察到下方RPC VD与年龄之间存在临界负相关。RPC VD与血氧饱和度之间无相关性。发现鼻侧RPC和平均RPC与D-二聚体水平之间以及下方RPC VD与IL-6水平之间存在显著负相关。将COVID-19组与对照组进行比较时，未观察到RPC参数有显著差异。
高血压或全身治疗对RCP VD无显著影响。然而，特定RPC区域的VD与D-二聚体和IL-6水平呈负相关，这突出了监测视乳头周围微血管以了解COVID-19潜在长期眼部影响的必要性。
