Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Risk Factors in An Iranian Cohort: A Case-control Study

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the possible risk factors of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) in an Iranian cohort.Methods: We recruited 39 consecutive CSCR cases and 80 age-matched controls with no ocular pathology from the same medical center from March 2019 to March 2021. Enrolled patients underwent complete ophthalmological examination and extensive history taking in a referral setting. Logistic regression analysis was performed to detect any possible association of potential risk factors with CSCR.Results: The mean age of CSCR patients was 40.69 +/- 7.71 years. The male-to-female ratio in cases and controls was 1:1.79 and 1.22:1, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that alcohol consumption (odds ratio, OR: 62.0, P <0.001), smoking (OR: 4.0, 95% CI: 1.47-10.85, P <0.006), corticosteroid use (OR: 6.95, 95% CI: 2.64-18.28, P <0.001), and high psychological stress (OR: 13.34, 95% CI: 4.68-38.02, P <0.01) were significant risk factors for developing CSCR. Ischemic heart disease (P=0.550), hypertension (P=0.750), and hyperopia (P=0.467) were not associated with the risk of CSCR. The most common form of steroid use was oral in both groups. No pregnant female was present in the study sample, precluding the assessment of its potential association with CSCR.Conclusion: CSCR often affects individuals of productive working ages; thus, identifying its preventable risk factors is highly encouraged. Our results suggested that alcohol consumption, smoking, and high levels of psychological stress are independent, preventable risk factors for CSCR.