Ultrawide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography reveals systemic vascular biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical associations with disease activity.

OBJECTIVES: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with potential vascular complications. Ultrawide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) may serve as a non-invasive tool to assess retinal and choroidal microvasculature. We aimed to evaluate its utility in SLE for early detection and monitoring of SLE vasculopathy. METHODS: 142 eyes of 71 SLE patients (median age 35 years, IQR 23-42) and 194 eyes of 97 healthy controls (median age 33 years, IQR 26-39.25) underwent ultrawide-field SS-OCTA imaging to quantify vascular density (VD) in retinal and choroidal layers. We collected clinical data, including disease activity scores (SLEDAI-2K), organ damage index (SDI), laboratory results, and treatment information (e.g. hydroxychloroquine dose). RESULTS: Retinal and choroidal VD in SLE patients differed significantly from that of healthy controls (p