Examination of optical coherence tomography angiography findings of patients diagnosis with common anxiety disorder

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the anxiety and depression levels, vascular density of the retinal quadrants and foveal avascular areas of individuals with generalized anxiety disorder(GAD) and healthy individuals, and to examine their relationship with psychological parameters. Methods: The study included 30 eyes of 30 individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who applied to Yozgat Bozok University Department of Mental Health and Diseases between December 2022 and March 2023, and 30 eyes of 30 healthy individuals with similar sociodemographic characteristics. Individuals' retinal vascular densities were evaluated with OCTA, and Beck Anxiety, Beck Depression, STAI 1 and STAI 2, Perceived Stress Scales were applied. Six month after the treatment administered by the psychiatrist to individuals with GAD, measurements were repeated in all individuals. Results: Sociodemographic characteristics of the GAD and control groups were similar (p>0.05). While a statistically significant differences were observed between the anxiety, depression, and state anxiety levels evaluated at the beginning and at the 6th month, The perceived stress level was found to be different only at the beginning. Before treatment, the superficial and deep vascular densities of GAD and healthy individuals were statistically different at the beginning and at the 6th month, and the vascular density of individuals with GAD was lower than that of healthy individuals (p<0.05). Individuals' initial anxiety, state anxiety and depression levels; A statistically significant correlation was observed in the rates of anxiety, depression, state anxiety and perceived stress at 6 months (p<0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the foveal avascular areas of the groups at the beginning and at the 6th month (p<0.05). Conclusion: Vascular dansity decline was seen in indivuals with generalized anxiety disorder, and a negative correlation has been observed between the vascular density of the retinal quadrants and the levels of anxiety, depression, and anxiety. The increase in the anxiety, depression, and anxiety levels of individuals reduces the vascular density of the retina. Keywords: generalized anxiety disorder, optical coherence tomography angiography, anxiety.