Ocular involvement and its manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease associated with a number of extra-articular organ manifestations. Ocular manifestations involved with RA are keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), episcleritis, scleritis, keratitis, and retinal vasculitis. The etiopathogenesis of this autoimmune disorder is still debated. The aim of the current study was to present different ocular manifestations of RA and their frequency. Patients and methods A total of 180 patients with RA participated in this cross-sectional survey. All patients were subjected to general and specific examinations, ophthalmological examinations, and rheumatologic examinations in addition to blood investigations for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide. Results Of the 180 examined patients, 61 (33.9%) patients had ocular manifestations. There were 52 (85.3%) patients with KCS, three (4.9%) patients with episcleritis, three (4.9%) patients with scleritis, and three (4.9%) patients with keratitis. Patients with longer disease duration were much more likely to have ocular manifestations (odds ratio=7.13, P<0.001). In addition, patients with positive history of steroid intake were more likely to have ocular manifestations (odds ratio=1.88, P<0.001). Conclusion Ocular manifestations involved with RA are significant. The most common manifestation of ocular involvement was KCS. Ocular manifestations were more common among patients with longer disease duration.

Keywords

• episcleritis
• keratoconjunctivitis sicca
• rheumatoid arthritis
• scleritis