Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Subclinical ocular microvascular involvement in primary antiphospholipid syndrome and antiphospholipid antibody carriers
Authors' conclusion
Subclinical microvascular and structural damage occurs in aPL positive patients without ocular symptoms.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with primary APS (PAPS) and aPL carriers without ocular symptoms, and matched healthy controls
- Participants
- 38 vs 32
- Exposure
- aPL-cohort vs matched healthy controls
- aPL-cohortn = 38
- Healthy controlsn = 32reference
- Outcome
- Retinal vessel density (VD) in superficial and deep capillary plexi by OCTA, and retinal structure by SD-OCT
Methodological detailsmonocentric, age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls
- Monocentric
- Age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Reduced superficial and deep whole en face vessel density (VD) in aPL-cohort, particularly at the parafoveal level
- Spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT): thinning of central and outer peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer and of macular, inner and outer plexiform, nuclear and nerve fibre layers
- Increased thickness in inner inferior and superior regions across all retinal layers
- Superficial whole en face and parafoveal VD remained significantly reduced in aPL-cohort after adjustment for age and CV risk factors
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Associations of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) parameters with disease duration, thrombotic risk profile, LA positivity, cumulative drug exposure, low-dose aspirin or vitamin K antagonists
- No significant associations
Original publication
Subclinical ocular microvascular involvement in primary antiphospholipid syndrome and antiphospholipid antibody carriers. Lupus Sci Med. Published 17 August 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →