The association of Helicobacter pylori with choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection on choroidal thickness (CT) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT).

METHODS: The study included 25 patients with H. pylori infection and 25 healthy individuals as the control group. Helicobacter pylori patients were classified as the pre-treatment (Group 1; n: 25) and the post-treatment (Group 2; n: 25). RNFLT and CT were measured before and after treatment of H. pylori infection, using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The axial length and intraocular pressure were also measured.

RESULTS: The mean subfoveal CT was 320.96 ± 29.15 μm in Group 1 and 287.48 ± 49.17 in the control group (p = 0.007), while the mean subfoveal CT did not show any difference between Group 2 and the control group (p > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was determined between the H. pylori patients and the control group in respect of RNFLT values (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: CT increases during H. pylori infection and returns to the normal range within 6 weeks of treatment. RNFLT does not show any change during H. pylori infection. The data related to the subfoveal CT may be useful in understanding the pathogenesis of central serous chorioretinopathy developing in H. pylori patients.