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Observational Study
. 2025 Jan 29;45(1):49.
doi: 10.1007/s10792-025-03422-8.

Salivary steroids in acute central serous chorioretinopathy

Dmitrii S Maltsev  1 , Alexei N Kulikov  2 , Alexander S Vasiliev  2 , Jay Chhablani  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Salivary steroids in acute central serous chorioretinopathy

Dmitrii S Maltsev et al. Int Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze levels of salivary steroids, including 17-OH-progesterone (17-OHP), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, cortisol, cortisone, progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol, in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) patients.

Methods: Acute CSCR patients and healthy individuals were included in this observational case-control study. Levels of salivary steroids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. Clinical characteristics of CSCR patients were assessed based on multimodal imaging.

Results: Seventeen CSCR patients (40.1 ± 4.6 years) and fourteen age-matched healthy controls (40.6 ± 3.8 years) were included. Mean central retinal thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness in affected eye of CSCR patients were 436.2 ± 131.1 µm and 464.6 ± 132.6 µm, respectively. Mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.09 ± 0.11 LogMAR. Mean symptoms duration before saliva collection was 0.9 ± 0.6 months. 17-OHP was decreased compared to the normal limits established in healthy controls in 10 out of 17 patients (59%), androstenedione in 15 out of 17 patients (88%), dehydroepiandrosterone in 10 out of 17 patients (59%), cortisol in 6 out of 17 patients (35%), cortisone in 12 out of 17 patients (83%), progesterone in 9 out of 17 patients (53%), testosterone in 10 out of 17 patients (59%), and estradiol in 5 out of 17 patients (29%). In total, among CSCR patients lower level in saliva was found for all studied hormones (p < 0.05), except progesterone and estradiol.

Conclusion: Salivary steroids are decreased in acute CSCR male patients compared with age-matched controls. This may indicate inhibition of steroidogenesis caused by chronic stress and personal reactivity preceding manifestation of CSCR.

Keywords: 17-OH-progesterone; Androstenedione; Central serous chorioretinopathy; Cortisol; Cortisone; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Glucocorticosteroids; Salivary steroids; Testosterone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Consent to participate: Informed consent was not obtained from individual participants included in the study since this was a retrospective review of electronic medical records. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Local Ethics Committee approved this study. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Clinical trials registration: Not applicable. Gels and blots/ image manipulation: Not applicable. Human or animal rights: Not applicable.

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