Heritability of Pachymetric Indices Using Pentacam Scheimflug Imaging Publisher Pubmed



Hashemi H¹ ; Yekta A² ; Heydarian S³ ; Ostadimoghaddam H⁴ ; Aghamirsalim M⁵ ; Derakhshan A⁶ ; Khabazkhoob M⁷
Source: British Journal of Ophthalmology Published:2020

Abstract

Aim To investigate the heritability of corneal thickness at the apex, entrance pupil centre, thinnest point, pachymetric progression index (PPI) and maximum Ambrosio relational thickness (ART max) using Pentacam. Methods The present cross-sectional and population-based study was conducted in two rural districts that were selected randomly. Individuals 5 years and older and data from households where one of the parents and at least one child participated in the study were considered for this analysis. All subjects were examined for visual acuity, refraction, biomicroscopy and, finally, Pentacam imaging. The heritability estimate was used to calculate familial aggregation of pachymetric indices. Results Of the 3851 selected individuals, 3314 participated in the study. After applying the exclusion criteria, a total of 1383 individuals from 382 households were included in the analysis; of these, 754 (54.52%) were female. The mean age of the subjects was 37.23±19.35 years (from 6 to 93 years). The highest heritability was observed for corneal thickness at the apex (85%), and the lowest was for ART max (27.62%). The heritability of other studied parameters, including corneal thickness at the entrance pupil centre, thinnest point and average PPI, was 82.0%, 77.0% and 31.49%, respectively. Conclusion The high heritability of the mentioned pachymetric parameters confirms the high correlation between these phenotypes and genetic factors and calls for genetic and molecular research to find related genes and to understand the aetiology of associated diseases, especially glaucoma and keratoconus. © 2020 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.