A retrospective evaluation of the effect of hydroxyquinine on RPE thickness

作者：Pikkel Joseph; Chassid Otzem^*; Sharabi Nov Adi; Beiran Itchak

来源：Graefes Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2013, 251(7): 1687-1690.

DOI：10.1007/s00417-012-2256-5

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
• Hydroxychloroquine
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
• Plaquenil
• Retinal outer band
• Rheumatoid arthritis

To investigate a possible structural difference in the retina of hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)-treated patients as an explanation for the protective effect of this medication against age-related macular degeneration (AMD). %26lt;br%26gt;In this retrospective study, we compared the mean thickness of the retinal outer band (consisting of the Bruch%26apos;s membrane and retinal pigment epithelium layer), as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), of 54 eyes of 27 hydroxychloroquine-treated rheumatoid arthritis patients (study group), 40 eyes of 20 healthy similar aged individuals (control group I), and 22 eyes of 11 non-hydroxychloroquine-treated rheumatoid arthritis patients (control group II). %26lt;br%26gt;The mean thicknesses of the outer band of the retinal pigment epithelium layer was 60.4 +/- 7.4, 43.3 +/- 2.7, and 39.7 +/- 3.6 mu m for the study group, control group I, and control group II, respectively. P values for differences in mean thicknesses were %26lt; 0.0001 between the study group and each of the control groups, and 0.086 between the two control groups. %26lt;br%26gt;Treatment with hydroxychloroquine was associated with increased thickness of the outer band of the retinal pigment epithelium layer. This finding may explain the protective effect of hydroxychloroquine against age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

• 出版日期2013-7