How does Covid-19 affect the choroidal structures at the early post-infectious period?

PURPOSE: To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in patients recovered from COVID-19 using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in the early postinfectious period. METHODS: Sixty-five patients recovered from COVID-19 and 72 healthy subjects were included in the study. A full ophthalmic examination including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit lamp biomicroscopy, and dilated fundus examination was performed. CT was measured at 3 points as follows: subfoveal, 1000µm nasal and temporal to the fovea. The total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), and CVI were measured with Image-J. RESULTS: The mean age was 39.09±11.27 years in the COVID-19 group and 39.61±11.43 years in the control group. The mean time from the first positive RT-PCR was 49.54±26.82 days (range 18-120) in the COVID-19 group. No statistically significant difference was detected between the groups with regard to axial length, spherical equivalent, and BCVA (all P>0.05). CT was found to be lower in the COVID-19 group compared to the control group in all quadrants, but this difference was not significant (all P>0.05). The mean TCA, LA, and CVI were statistically significantly reduced in the COVID-19 group (all P<0.001); however, SA showed no statistically significant difference (P=0.064). CONCLUSIONS: In asymptomatic or mild COVID-19, CVI and LA decrease significantly, while CT thins in the early postinfectious period but not significantly.

COVID-19 infection may trigger SLE disease: A case report

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect various body organs, especially the skin, joints, hematopoietic system, kidneys and central nervous system. The signs and symptoms occur depending on the inflammation in the affected tissues. Although many factors are responsible for its aetiology, it is known that some viruses such as Epstein Bar virus may also cause this disease by triggering autoimmunity. Recent studies have revealed that the immune system could be activated due to coronavirus infections and that some autoantibodies could be observed in the blood. A small number of SLE cases activated by COVID infection have been reported in the literature. The present study presented and discussed with the information in the literature a 20-year-old patient with COVID infection, diagnosed with SLE with renal involvement according to EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria by considering histopathological and immunofluorescence findings. Copyright © 2022 Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi. All rights reserved.

Should COVID-19 RT-PCR test be performed before elective cataract surgery? A study in the light of prevalence and cost analysis

Objective: It was aimed to argue the asymptomatic Covid-19 seroprevalence in patients scheduled for elective cataract surgery, to investigate the cost effects of Covid-19 on cataract surgery, and the effects of routinely using the screening test before surgery. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional and observational study. The study group included 217 patients without any symptoms of Covid-19 who underwent real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) testing for SARS CoV 2 before surgery during the pandemic period and the control group included 200 patients who under-went elective cataract surgery procedure before the Covid-19 pandemic. Their demographic characteristics and the length of hospital stay were recorded. Equipment fees, laboratory fees, drug fees, and hospital service fees were recorded, and cost analysis was made. Seroprevalence of Covid-19 was calculated.

Should We Weigh More on Home Dialysis Methods During Pandemic Periods: One Center Experience

Objective: This study aims to determine the difference in the coronavirus disease 2019 incidence between our patient group performing home dialysis, including home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, and our patient group performing in-center hemodialysis. Methods: The study consists of the patients followed up in our center: 58 scheduled hemodialysis, 9 home hemodialysis, and 54 peritoneal dialysis patients. All the patients were closely followed for the coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms between March 2020 and May 2020. The follow-up intervals of our patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis were increased from 1 month to 2 months;all of them were contacted over the phone at the beginning of the pandemic and 2 months later, and the patients were questioned in terms of the coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms. Relevant descriptive statistics were presented. Binary logistic regression model was applied to compare the development of coronavirus disease 2019 in the patient group who performed home dialysis (home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) and in the patient group who performed in-center hemodialysis via the glm function in R that fits generalized linear models. Age and the number of critical comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive lung disease) were employed as the other independent variables in the model. Results: Three of the 58 patients who underwent dialysis in our center were followed up in our pandemic service with the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019. Coronavirus disease 2019 positivity was not detected in any patient who applied dialysis methods at home. The number of critical comorbidities appeared as the only significant variable in explaining the development of COVID-19 (P =.0569<0.10). The non-reflection of the difference of the applied methods (in-center hemodialysis vs. home dialysis (home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis)) in coronavirus disease 2019 development to the statistics may be due to the somewhat low number of total observations. Conclusion: In our study, we observed no peritoneal dialysis or home hemodialysis patient diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 in our center during the pandemic period. Home dialysis methods may prove to be the gold standard treatment, especially during the pandemic period.