Methods of determining whether a subject has or is at risk of having a central serous chorioretinopathy

Abstract

Central Serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is primarily an ocular disease, affecting the choroid and the retinal pigment epithelium. To date, no systemic biomarker of CSCR have been discovered that could link both forms and help the diagnosis in challenging cases. In the present invention, the inventors measure in European cohorts of CSCR patients (n=168) with (n=90) or without epitheliopathy (n=78) and a cohort of 153 control subjects without any ocular disease history, the serum levels of NGAL and the NGAL/MMP9 complex. Serum NGAL (ng/ml) was significantly higher in the control group (108.8±46.8) than in the CSCR cohort (80.4±46.4, p<0.0001). Serum NGAL (ng/ml) was significantly lower in the acute/recurrent cohort (n=78, 71.3±32.1) than in the control and, than in the chronic cohort (n=90, 88.3±55, p=0.03). Similarly, Serum NGAL/MMP9 (ng/ml) levels was lower in the whole CSCR cohort (44.5±39.6) as compared to the controls (77.6±47.8, p<0.0001). Serum NGAL/MMP9 (ng/ml) were significantly lower in the acute/recurrent cohort (37.6±37.9) than in the control and, than in the chronic cohort (50.5±40.3, p=0.002). Thus, in both forms of CSCR serum NGAL and NGAL/MMP9 are lower than in the control population, providing a biological link between the two forms and a potential susceptibility to oxidative stress and innate immune dysregulation. Systemic LCN2 being elevated in other retinal diseases, it represents a specific biomarker for CSCR.

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