Interferon-treated hepatitis C patients likely to experience retinopathyJanuary 04, 2007Persons with chronic hepatitis C being treated with Interferon (IFN) are at risk of developing retinopathy as early as two weeks into treatment according to the results of a new study published in the January 2007 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). Researchers from the Departments of Ophthalmology and Hepatology at Asahikawa Medical College in Japan measured the changes in vessel diameter and blood velocity and calculated retinal blood flow (RBF) and wall shear rate (WSR) using a laser Doppler velocimetry in 36 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with high-dose IFN. Sixty-one percent of these patients developed asymptomatic retinopathy, including retinal hemorrhage and cotton-wool spots, during treatment. Retinopathy was first diagnosed two to 16 weeks after the start of treatment and resolved at the end of treatment in all but nine patients. Of these patients, all experienced an increase in blood velocity, RBF, and WSR. The increased RBF was associated with anemia induced by IFN treatment. The increase in WSR in patients with retinopathy especially indicates that endothelial dysfunction may play an important role in IFN-induced retinopathy as shear stress should be constant under physiologic conditions. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology |
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| Related Retinopathy Current Events and Retinopathy News Articles Cataract surgery helps AMD patients; steroid improves DME; online eye health forum This month's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) reports on a national study that finds cataract surgery is likely to benefit patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at all stages of the disease, on a clinical trial showing that the steroid triamcinolone may be effective in advanced diabetic macular edema (DME) patients when standard treatment fails, and on the public's use of two Academy-sponsored online eye health forums. Clues to visual variant Alzheimer's; myopia and diabetic retinopathy risk Two studies are of particular note in today's Scientific Program of the 2009 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO): a report by Swiss neuro-ophthalmic researchers about vision exam clues that should make ophthalmologists suspect an atypical variant of Alzheimer's disease; and new evidence from a Singapore National Eye Center study that diabetics who are nearsighted may be less susceptible to diabetic retinopathy. Treating ROP in tiny preemies; better glaucoma follow-up in urban clinic Highlights of today's Scientific Program of the 2009 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Joint Meeting include: John T. Flynn, MD, Columbia University School of Medicine, discussing the ever-tougher challenges Eye M.D.s face in caring for the vision of the tiniest premature babies; and a report by Bradford W. Lee, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, on barriers to glaucoma follow-up as perceived by patients in an urban, culturally diverse clinic. First in New York: Bionic technology aims to give sight to woman blinded beginning at age 13 A 50-year-old New York woman who was diagnosed with a progressive blinding disease at age 13 was implanted with an experimental electronic eye implant that has partially restored her vision. More infants surviving pre-term births results in higher rates of eye problems As more extremely pre-term infants survive in Sweden, an increasing number of babies are experiencing vision problems caused by abnormalities involving the retina. New device finds early signs of eye disease in preemies Tell-tale signs of a condition that can blind premature babies are being seen for the first time using a new handheld device in a study at Duke University Medical Center. Rare genetic disease successfully reversed using stem cell transplantation A recent study by Scripps Research Institute scientists offers good news for families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. Elevated arginase levels contribute to vascular eye disease such as diabetic retinopathy Elevated levels of the enzyme arginase contribute to vascular eye damage and Medical College of Georgia researchers say therapies to normalize its levels could halt progression of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Anti-growth factor drugs raise hope and concern for treatment of children's eye diseases A new class of antibody drugs may provide a powerful new tool for the treatment of eye diseases in children, but specialists need to be alert for the possibility of serious side effects, according to an editorial in the August Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus), published by Elsevier. Natural Compound Stops Diabetic Retinopathy Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a natural compound to stop one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. More Retinopathy Current Events and Retinopathy News Articles |
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