Effect of oral Colchicine on Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with familial Mediterranean fever

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to investigate whether oral colchicine has an effect on peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients. METHODS We conducted a cross sectional study by comparing pRNFL thickness of FMF patients on colchicine (treated group), newly diagnosed colchicine naïve FMF patients (untreated group) and healthy controls. The study included 66 FMF patients and 32 healthy control subjects. Treated FMF patients were grouped according to colchicine use, duration of use and dosage. pRNFL thickness of the patients and controls were measured by using optical coherence tomography and the measurements were compared. RESULTS No statistically significant difference was found between the pRNFL thickness in untreated group, treated group and the healthy control group (all p > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between pRNFL thickness in the healthy control group and FMF patients grouped according to duration or dosage of colchicine use (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS According to our study, FMF and oral colchicine use had no statistically significant effect on pRNFL thickness.