Abstract
Purpose :
Scleritis is a potentially blinding inflammation of the sclera, with varying reported incidences and prevalences. No previous study has examined scleritis in the TriNetx Research Network, a large, de-identified electronic medical record database. Herein, we assess the incidence, prevalence, use of immunosuppressants, systemic disorders, and ocular complications that develop following a scleritis diagnosis in the TriNetX database.
Methods :
This retrospective study used ICD-10 codes to identify cases of scleritis in the TriNetX database from 2013 to 2022. Patients under the age of 18 and over the age of 90 were excluded from the study, creating a total sample population of 97,012,434 patients. Scleritis was divided into 7 subtypes for analysis: unspecified, anterior, brawny, posterior, scleritis with corneal involvement, scleromalacia perforans, and other scleritis. Data collected included demographics, concurrent use of immunosuppressants, presence of systemic disease, and the ocular complications of macular edema, band keratopathy, and glaucoma. Data was analyzed using TriNetX software.
Results :
From the seven subtypes of scleritis, 36,764 patients were identified with a population predominately Caucasian (range 50% to 58%), female (range 54% to 65%), and mean age of 61 years (range 18-90). The most common immunosuppressants used were prednisone and methotrexate (38% and 11%). The most common concurrent systemic disease was rheumatoid arthritis (11%) and ocular complication was glaucoma (20%). The yearly scleritis incidence rate per 100,000 was 2.39. Anterior and posterior scleritis were the most specified scleritis subtypes, with yearly incidence rates per 100,000 of 0.338 and 0.0823 respectively. The yearly prevalence rates increased overall and for each subtype from the years 2013 through 2022. The prevalence rates per 100,000 for 2013 versus 2022 were 10.6 vs. 21.1 for overall scleritis, 1.12 vs. 2.92 for anterior scleritis, and 0.200 vs. 0.630 for posterior scleritis.
Conclusions :
Compared to previous studies, the TriNetX scleritis population showed similar demographics and comorbidities. For incidence, the rates for overall and each subtype of scleritis were lower than reported in prior studies. For prevalence, the rate for overall scleritis was higher, and the rates for each subtype showed variation when compared to previous studies.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.