Corneal and anterior chamber morphology in human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected patients without opportunistic infections

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate corneal and anterior chamber morphology as measured by Pentacam HR in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients without opportunistic infections and to search for signs of accelerated aging. METHODS: This prospective study included 41 eyes of 41 HIV-1-infected patients (study group) and 50 eyes of 50 healthy subjects (control group). Specular microscope and Pentacam HR were used for corneal and anterior chamber morphology evaluation. Corneal endothelial cell density (CECD), hexagonal cell ratio, coefficient of variation, corneal thickness, density and volume, maximum keratometry, anterior chamber volume (ACV), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) measurements were recorded for analysis. RESULTS: The mean CD4 count was 428.3±231.9 (36-950) cells/mL, and the time since diagnosis was 27.5±34.1 months in the study group. The difference in anterior segment parameters was not significantly different between the study and the control groups (P>0.05). Age significantly correlated with CECD (r=-0.436, P=0.004), ACV (r=-0.570, P<0.001), ACD (r=-0.471, P=0.002), and corneal density (r=0.424, P=0.006) in the study group, whereas it did not show a significant correlation with any ocular parameters in the control group (Pearson correlation). CONCLUSION: Corneal density, CECD, ACV, and ACD showed significant correlation with age in HIV-1-infected patients. Further studies are needed to show whether ocular parameters may serve as useful tools to monitor HIV-related accelerated aging.