Non-Infectious Scleritis and Systemic Collagen Vascular Disease Association

Sutasinee Boonsopon; Pitipol Choopong; Wisakorn Wongwijitsook; Wanchana Sopitviriyaporn; Nattaporn Tesavibul

doi:10.33192/Smj.2020.48

Authors

Sutasinee Boonsopon Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6556-0215
Pitipol Choopong Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9476-9181
Wisakorn Wongwijitsook Debaratana Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4269-3891
Wanchana Sopitviriyaporn http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7410-4580
Nattaporn Tesavibul Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9476-9181

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33192/Smj.2020.48

Keywords:

Scleritis, immune, rheumatology, inflammation

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate scleritis type in association with a systemic collagen vascular disease and the clinical characteristics of patients presenting with non-infectious scleritis.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of 95 patients who presented with non-infectious scleritis was conducted. A comparison of the clinical differences between patients who had an associated systemic collagen vascular disease and idiopathic scleritis was performed.
Results: Of the 95 patients (123 eyes), 72.6% was female with mean age of 47 years. Diffuse anterior scleritis was the most predominant type (57.9%). The first and the second most frequent complications were anterior uveitis and scleral thinning. Almost twenty percent of the patients had a systemic collagen vascular disease involvement; rheumatoid arthritis and non-specific anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-related scleritis were the two most common at 4.2% each. Most of patients who had a concurrent systemic collagen vascular disease presented with diffuse anterior scleritis, and it was statistically significant compared with the idiopathic group. The presence of scleral thinning during follow-up periods was a statistically significant difference between the groups with and without systemic collagen vascular disease.
Conclusion: Diffuse anterior scleritis was the most common scleritis found. The association between diffuse anterior scleritis and a systemic collagen vascular disease was higher than those for nodular anterior scleritis and posterior scleritis. The possibility of a systemic collagen vascular disease association and the potential for devastating sight- and life-threatening complications need to be considered for any patient who has scleritis.

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