Research has shown that retinal changes are a precursor to Parkinson’s disease. Using this, it is possible to predict the possibility of onset seven years in advance when tissue changes are observed with retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT).
The results of a study on the possibility of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease using OCT conducted by researchers including Siegfried Karl Wagner, London Eye Institute, University College London, UK, were published in the international journal Neurology on the 21st (doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000207727).
A cohort analysis showed that retinal changes were a precursor to Parkinson’s disease.
Although there have been previous studies that showed neurodegeneration and other morphological abnormalities in the retina of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), it was unclear whether imaging such as OCT could reliably diagnose them.
The research team set out to investigate the actual relevance by examining the anatomical retinal changes measured using OCT in patients with Parkinson’s disease and evaluating the association using a prospective study cohort.
Data from both studies were used in the analysis. To detect retinal markers in patients with Parkinson’s disease, we used data from AlzEye, a cohort of 154,830 patients over the age of 40 who attended an eye hospital in London, UK, between 2008 and 2018.
They then used a UK Biobank cohort of retinal scans of 67,311 people between the ages of 40 and 69 between 2006 and 2010 to evaluate retinal markers in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCTUL) and inner nuclear layer (INL) thicknesses were extracted from the fovea.
Within the AlzEye cohort, 700 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 105,770 controls were screened to investigate the association between diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and retinal thickness.
After adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, hypertension, and diabetes, those with Parkinson’s disease had significantly thinner GCUL and reduced INL thickness.
A total of 53 people were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease during the study period.
The Biobank cohort also found an association between new diagnoses and reduced thickness of GCLECT and INL. The association persisted even in those who developed clinical symptoms within 2 years of retinal scans.
“The cohort analysis showed that people with Parkinson’s disease had reduced retinal INL and GICUL thickness,” said the researchers. added.
2023-09-04 03:10:28
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