Vigorous exercise a risk factor for central serous chorioretinopathy

Frequent, vigorous physical activity (PA) can have negative consequences, with a recent study suggesting that this level of activity increases the odds of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) by more than fivefold.

The case-control study involved consecutive patients with active CSCR (n=105) and a comparable control group of healthy participants (n=105). Both groups completed a shortened version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to provide details about their PA.

Researchers assessed a moderate/high practice of vigorous PA vs an absent/low practice of vigorous PA. They used the Ainsworth Compendium of PAs as a reference for the activities requiring vigorous effort and to quantify the energy expended expressed in metabolic equivalent of task (MET).

The proportion of participants with moderate/high vigorous PA was greater in the CSCR group than in the control group (63.5 percent vs 26 percent; p=0.0001). The mean MET values of vigorous PA were 2,173.2 in the CSCR group and 1,216.3 in the control group (p=0.029).

Further analysis revealed that moderate/high vigorous PA contributed to a fivefold greater likelihood of CSCR compared with absent/low vigorous PA (odds ratio, 5.58, 95 percent confidence interval, 3.01–10.69; p=0.0001).

Frequent and intense PA often leads to hypertensive episodes, which break the precarious haemodynamic balance in the choroid of individuals predisposed to CSCR, according to the researchers. Subsequently, choroidal vascular decompensation and active disease can occur.