Assessment of the Effect of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Choroidal Thickness Using Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

OBJECTIVES: This study was a comparison of the thickness of the choroid in pediatric patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy pediatric controls. METHODS: This study was comparative, cross-sectional, and observational in design. The healthy controls were age- and sex-matched with the members of the ADHD group and had no history of psychosis. Choroidal thickness was determined using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients were enrolled with a male:female ratio of 54 (69.2%): 24 (30.8%) in the ADHD group and 41 (68.3%): 19 (31.7%) in the control group (p=0.910). The ADHD patients had a mean age of 9.4±1.9 years (range: 6-12 years) and the controls had a mean age of 9.9±2.2 years (range: 6–12 years) (p=0.213). The ADHD group (n=78 eyes tested) had a significantly higher mean choroidal thickness at 1.5 mm (temporal-to-fovea, TTF) measurement than the controls (n=60 eyes tested) (281.12±46.63 μm vs. 264.40±48.61 μm, p=0.042). There were no significant differences in any of the other choroidal thickness measurements (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The choroidal thickness measurement (TTF) at 1.5 mm was significantly greater in the ADHD patients. These findings suggest that choroidal thickness alterations may have a potential role in the underlying etiology of ADHD.