Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To characterize the clinical features of patients with scleritis. Methods: A retrospective, observational review of medical records of patients with scleritis seen at a tertiary care uveitis service. Results: One hundred and fourty patients with scleritis were seen between 1994 and 2004. The age range is from 23 to 83 years, with a mean age of 52. Women were more commonly affected (69.2%). Thirty percent of patients had bilateral involvement. Anterior scleritis comprised the majority of patients (82.1%), while posterior and necrotizing scleritis were found in 7.8% and 10.7% of patients, respectively. The most common underlying systemic etiologies were rheumatoid arthritis (10%), Wegener’s granulomatosis (3.5%), and inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease) (3.5%). Sixty–eight percent of cases were idiopathic. Ninety–four percent of patients (131) presented with other serious ocular conditions. Of these, 69 patients presented with uveitis (52.7%, 42 concomitant and 27 separate), 25 patients with glaucoma (19.1%), 9 patients with retinal detachment (6.9%, 5 serous), and 7 patients with peripheral ulcerative keratitis (5.3%). Fifty–two percent of affected patients were treated with oral corticosteroid prednisone, while 50% were treated with nonsteroidal anti–inflammatory drugs and 40% of patients treated with steroid–sparing immunosuppressives. Conclusions: Anterior scleritis is the most common form of scleritis (82.1%). In patients with underlying systemic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, and inflammatory bowel disease are most common associations. 40% of patients require steroid–sparing immunosuppressives.
Keywords: sclera • inflammation