To assess orbital blood flow changes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using Doppler sonography.
The study comprised 35 patients who were diagnosed with RA and were treated at the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at Duzce Medical School. A control group consisted of 35 healthy volunteers. Color Doppler imaging was used to measure peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV), from which the resistance index (RI) was calculated in the ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA), and posterior ciliary arteries (PCAs).
In the OA, PSV, EDV, and RI were, respectively, 36.7 +/- 0.6 cm/sec, 9.7 +/- 0.2 cm/sec, and 0.73 in the control group versus 34.7 +/- 3.0 cm/sec, 9.1 +/- 1.1 cm/sec, and 0.74 in the patient group. In the CRA, they were, respectively, 11.8 +/- 1.7 cm/sec, 3.6 +/- 0.7 cm/sec, and 0.66 in the control group versus 11.1 +/- 1.7 cm/sec, 3.4 +/- 0.7 cm/sec, and 0.68 in the patient group. In the PCAs, they were, respectively, 13.2 +/- 1.2 cm/sec, 4.7 +/- 0.6 cm/sec, and 0.65 in the control group versus 12.4 +/- 1.2 cm/sec, 4.2 +/- 0.6 cm/sec, and 0.66 in the PCAs. PSV, EDV, and RI of the PCAs and OA and RI of the CRA were significantly different between patients and controls, whereas there was no difference in the serum levels of glucose, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol. In the patient group, there was a significant correlation between orbital blood flow and duration of disease.
Ocular blood flow appears to be slightly lower in RA patients than in healthy controls, suggesting that RA is a systemic inflammatory disease that may also involve ocular vessels.