Impact of Familial Mediterranean Fever on Choroidal Tissue: A Study of Choroidal Thickness and Vascularity in Pediatric Patients

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) on the choroidal tissue, which has a dense vascular network in the eye. A total of 95 eyes of 45 children diagnosed with FMF with homozygous c.~ (p.M694V) mutation in the MEFV gene and 50 healthy children were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were obtained from all children. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and nasal CT values were significantly lower in the patient group compared to the healthy group (p = 0.004, p = 0.002, and p = 0.036 respectively). In this study, we observed a significant decrease in both CVI and SFCT in children with FMF compared to healthy controls. This finding suggests that FMF disrupts choroidal structures in the eye, consistent with its known pathophysiology. Although there are no observable pathological findings, the decrease in SFCT and CVI values emphasizes the need for more frequent follow-up and more careful treatment of these children.