Heritability of pachymetric indices using Pentacam scheimflug imaging
Mohammadreza Asadollahi1 *, Samira Heydarian 2 , Mehdi Khabazkhoob 3
- Noor Research Center for Ophthalmic Epidemiology, Noor Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran
- Department of rehabilitation science, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: To investigate the heritability of corneal thickness at apex, entrance pupil center, thinnest point, pachymetric progression index (PPI), and Maximum Ambrósio relational thickness (ARTMax) using Pentacam
Methods: The present cross-sectional and population-based study was conducted in two rural districts which were selected randomly. Individuals 5-years and older and data from households where one of 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 apex (85%) and the lowest was for the ARTmax (27.62%). The heritability of other studied parameters including corneal thickness at entrance pupil center, thinnest point, and PPI Ave was 82%, 77%, 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 etiology of associated diseases, especially glaucoma and keratoconus
