Abstract
Purpose :
Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease that is characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal gland, resulting in damage to the gland tissue. Recent studies have shown that the meibomian glands (MGs) are also affected in SS, with functional and morphological changes to their structure. The aim of this retrospective chart review was to describe the prevalence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in SS patients in optometric practices.
Methods :
SS charts from 6 North American clinical sites were identified in 6 optometric offices in North America. Inclusion criterion was a positive diagnosis of SS under the American European Consensus Criterion (AECC). Starting with the first visit after diagnosis of SS, variables including age, sex, year of diagnosis, symptoms & signs of DE and lid margin assessment were recorded and analyzed.
Results :
Data from 123 SS patient charts were included in this study. One hundred and fourteen (92.7%) patients were females. Average age was 56.3±11.7yrs (range 24-84) and average time since diagnosis was 7.2±5.1 yrs (range 0-17). Symptoms of DE were recorded in 105 (85%) charts. MGD was recorded in 94/123=76% of charts, with 64/94=68% having a bilateral positive diagnosis. Corneal fluorescein staining was the most predominant sign, recorded in 120 charts (98%) and was present in 85 (69.3%) patients. MGD was present in 68% of this population which was similar to the prevalence of corneal staining (69.3%).
Conclusions :
This retrospective chart review study indicates the high prevalence of MGD in SS patients in North America. MGD prevalence in this SS population is slightly higher than estimates in non-SS Asian populations (46.2%-61.9%) (Uchino et al., 2006, Lin et al.,2003) and much higher than estimates in non-SS Caucasians (3.5%-19.9%) (Schein et al., 1997, McCarty et al., 1998).
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.