Abstract
Purpose :
We performed a retrospective, observational clinical study to identify the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities among patients with acute scleritis.
Methods :
The records of 256 patients with scleritis who presented to the Yale New Haven Health System between January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Data was collected on patient comorbidities. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Results :
We identified 256 patients with a diagnosis of scleritis, 232 (90.6%) had diffuse anterior scleritis, 10 (3.9%) had nodular anterior scleritis, 5 (2%) had necrotizing scleritis, and 9 (3.5%) had posterior scleritis. At least one psychiatric comorbidity was present in 61 patients (23.8%), and 38 patients (14.8%) had at least two psychiatric comorbidities. The most common was major depression (16.8%) followed by an anxiety disorder (12.5%). 14 patients (5.6%) had a substance use disorder. The prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in our sample was significantly higher than population averages as reported by the National Institutes of Mental Health (23.8% compared to 18.9%, p<0.05).
Conclusions :
A high percentage of scleritis patients have a comorbid mental health disorder. Similar to other chronic illnesses, scleritis may be a significant psychosocial stressor for these patients. Mental health disorders may affect treatment compliance and patient outcomes. Future prospective studies will further elucidate the relationship between scleritis and mental health.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.