OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the frequency and characteristics of ocular manifestations in outpatients
with systemic sclerosis.
METHODS:
In this cross-sectional study, 45 patients with systemic sclerosis were enrolled. Data
regarding demographics, disease duration and subtype, age at diagnosis, nailfold
capillaroscopic pattern and autoantibody profile were collected, and a full ophthalmic
examination was conducted. Parametric (Student's t-test) and nonparametric (Mann-Whitney
U test) tests were used to compare continuous variables. Fisher's exact test was used to
compare categorical data. P values < 0.05 were considered significant.
RESULTS:
Twenty-three subjects (51.1%) had eyelid skin changes; 22 (48.9%) had
keratoconjunctivitis sicca, 19 (42.2%) had cataracts, 13 (28.9%) had retinal
microvascular abnormalities and 6 (13.3%) had glaucoma. Eyelid skin changes were more
frequent in patients with the diffuse subtype of systemic sclerosis and were associated
with a younger age and an earlier age at diagnosis. Cataracts were presumed to be
age-related and secondary to corticosteroid treatment. There was no association between
demographic, clinical or serological data and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. The retinal
microvascular abnormalities were indistinguishable from those related to systemic
hypertension and were associated with an older age and a severe capillaroscopic
pattern.
CONCLUSIONS:
Eyelid skin abnormalities and keratoconjunctivitis sicca were the most common ocular
findings related to systemic sclerosis. Some demographic and clinical data were
associated with some ophthalmic features and not with others, showing that the ocular
manifestations of systemic sclerosis are characterized by heterogeneity and reflect the
differences in the implicated pathophysiological mechanisms.
The authors report a rare association case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) in a 53 years-old female patient, present a literature review and discuss the radiological aspects of the temporo-mandibular joint involvement. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of JIA an OI association.
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