An Unusual Case of Anaemic Retinopathy Secondary to Iron Deficiency Anaemia
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Vignessh Raveekumaran,
Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Puducherry-607503, India.
E-mail: vignesshravee@gmail.com
Anaemia has varied ocular presentations, ranging from simple conjunctival pallor to retinal abnormalities. Anaemic Retinopathy (AR) is a secondary retinal pathological symptom that can range from asymptomatic to developing retinal abnormalities. The increase in the severity of anaemia will ultimately increase the risk of retinopathy. While the outcomes might be similar to hypertensive or diabetic retinopathy, further comprehensive systemic and clinical evaluation is warranted. The incidence of AR, its associations with varying degrees of anaemia severity, and other haematological variables is still debated. Visual loss due to retinal abnormalities in anaemia is a rare clinical entity, despite its long-standing existence. Hereby, the authors present a case of a patient presenting with AR. A 19-year-old woman with a history of heavy menstrual bleeding was admitted for a sudden, painless, non progressive loss of vision in her left eye. Upon examination, her fundus revealed several Roth spots affecting all four quadrants and the macula, alongside a large and small preretinal haemorrhage in the nasal region and in the macula. Blood investigations revealed a Haemoglobin (Hb) of 2.4 g/dL and other reports suggestive of iron deficiency. She was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anaemia, with retinopathy as the most remarkable feature. She was treated with blood transfusion and Iron-folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, which showed a prompt response in the resolution of haemorrhage. She was discharged on IFA supplementation with planned follow-up for Ophthalmology and Gynaecology visits along with dietary advice.
Adolescent, Preretinal haemorrhage, Roth spots
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2024/68633.19122
Date of Submission: Nov 17, 2023
Date of Peer Review: Jan 11, 2024
Date of Acceptance: Jan 17, 2024
Date of Publishing: Mar 01, 2024
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. Yes
PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHODS:
• Plagiarism X-checker: Nov 20, 2023
• Manual Googling: Jan 12, 2024
• iThenticate Software: Jan 15, 2024 (10%)
ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
EMENDATIONS: 5
- Emerging Sources Citation Index (Web of Science, thomsonreuters)
- Index Copernicus ICV 2017: 134.54
- Academic Search Complete Database
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
- Embase
- EBSCOhost
- Google Scholar
- HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme
- Indian Science Abstracts (ISA)
- Journal seek Database
- Popline (reproductive health literature)
- www.omnimedicalsearch.com