Vitamin D deficiency linked to higher foveal retinal thickness and decreased vascular density levels, suggests study

A new study published in the journal of Eye found that the amount of vitamin D and foveal retinal thickness (FRT) in children is negatively correlated in studies employing optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The immune system, inflammation, cell division and proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and gene expression are just a few of the many ways that vitamin D supports human health.

Based on the Endocrine Society's position, blood vitamin D levels should be between 40 and 60 ng/mL. For babies under one year old, the daily intake should be 400 to 1000 International Units (IU). For children and adolescents aged 1 to 18, it should be 600 to 1000 IU, and for adults, it should be 1500 to 2000 IU. Thereby, to assess the retinal and optic nerve head microvasculature in children with vitamin D insufficiency using OCTA, Bengi Ece Kurtul and his team carried out this investigation.

A total of  74 eyes of 37 children with vitamin D insufficiency (Group I) and the 64 eyes of 32 healthy children (Group II) were included for examination by OCTA in this prospective, cross-sectional investigation. Analysis and comparison between the groups were conducted using foveal retinal thickness (FRT), vascular density (VD) in various retinal slices, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, and optic disc thickness.

The mean central corneal thickness levels, mean intraocular pressures, mean ages, and gender of the groups were comparable. Vitamin D levels in the venous blood samples of participants were statistically significant (P < 0.001), with mean levels in Group I being 11.42 ± 4.94 ng/mL and Group II being 26.03 ± 11.08 ng/mL.

The groups' optic disc capillary densities did not differ significantly from one another. However, Group I displayed considerably lower superficial total, parafoveal, and perifoveal VD values and significantly greater FRT values as compared to Group II. In Group I, the vitamin D levels and FRT values had a substantially negative connection (r = -0.439, P = 0.001).

Overall, higher FRT readings and lower superficial VD levels appear to be linked to vitamin D insufficiency. When compared to children with normal vitamin D levels (26.03 ng/mL), the ones with low levels (11.42 ng/mL) had thicker foveal retinas and less vascular density in the retina, particularly in the parafoveal and perifoveal areas. Vitamin D insufficiency in pediatric patients may have an impact on retinal microvascular architecture.

Source:

Kurtul, B. E., Sipal, C., & El, C. (2024). Ocular haemodynamics in children with vitamin D deficiency. In Eye. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-024-03528-w