Corneal pachymetric particularities during hypertensive pregnancies. A clinical study

V. Paun, L. Voinea, M. Cirstoiu, A. Baros, D. Vasile

Abstract: While pregnant, a female patient may develop anterior pole pathology related to gestation, especially associated with gestational induced hypertension (GIH) or preeclampsia. We studied 26 female patients (19 to 41 years old) admitted in the Obstetrics-Gynecology Department from the Emergency University Hospital of Bucharest, with gestations ranging from 28 to 39 weeks, from which 15 patients had a form of GIH or preeclampsia. These patients were consulted in the Ophthalmology department and pachymetry measurements were documented. Our results showed that, as the gestation evolves, the cornea becomes thinner, as well as in normal pregnant women as well as in GIH (p<0.05). Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between arterial diastolic blood pressure and corneal pachymeter values in GIH patients. Therefore, the anterior pole pathology in general and corneal thickness in particular, may become an important predictive factor for subtle, sometimes risky, ocular or retinal pathologic processes.
DOI:10.18643/gieu.2017.9

Keywords: cornea, pregnancy, preeclampsia, pachymetry, hypertension