The relation between Helicobactor pylori gastrointestinal tract infection and central serous chorioretinopathy among patients in Al-Diwaniya province

PURPOSE: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR) is a serous detachment of the central retina. This condition usually affects young males. Its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Helicobactor pylori is the most prevalent stomach and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) infection worldwide, and a possible correlation between these two conditions was examined in this study. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with CSR (fifty-five males and seven females) were included in this study. All patients were examined by a senior ophthalmologist and fluorescein angiography was performed for each patient to confirm CSR, which has specific ophthalmic findings. It was found to be the first attack of CSR in 49 patients with the help of history and optical coherence tomography and an Amsler grid test, while in 13 patients it was shown to be recurrent disease. Diagnosis of H. pylori was done using the urea breath test at the GIT center in Diwaniya Teaching Hospital, Iraq. The control group contained 162 patients attending the GIT Department at Diwaniya Teaching Hospital with 79 patients with a positive H. pylori test and normal comprehensive eye examinations. Patients with any other ophthalmic diseases were excluded from the study. RESULTS: The rate of infection was significantly higher in patients than in control group (47/75.8% vs. 79/48.8%; P < 0.001). The odds ratio was 3.29 with 95% confidence interval of 1.71–6.36; therefore, patients with CSR are 3.29 times more susceptible to H. pylori infections than control subjects. CONCLUSION: A statistically significant relationship between the presence of H. pylori infections with CSR development among young patients was shown. More multi-center studies are needed to confirm this relationship.