Annamaria Nagy1, Aniko Rentka1, Gabor Nemeth1,2, Hassan Ziad3, Gabriella Szücs4, Zoltán Szekanecz4, Rudolf Gesztelyi5, Judit Zsuga6, Zsuzsa Aszalos7, Peter Szodoray8, Adam Kemeny-Beke1. 1. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary. 2. Department of Ophthalmology, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen County Hospital and University Teaching Hospital , Miskolc , Hungary. 3. Orbi-Dent Refractive Surgery and Medical Centre , Debrecen , Hungary. 4. Department of Rheumatology, Institute of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary. 5. Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary. 6. Department of Health Systems Management and Quality Management in Health Care, Faculty of Public Health, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary. 7. Department of Immunology, Institute of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary. 8. Institute of Immunology, Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway.
Abstract
Purpose: Corneal involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is rare, but due to rich collagen composition cornea is especially vulnerable to connective tissue diseases. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate corneal parameters of SSc patients. Methods: The study included 32 SSc patients and 39 control subjects with no ocular symptoms or ocular surface disorders. All study participants underwent Pentacam evaluation and objective signs of dry eye disease (DED), and clinical parameters were evaluated. Results: All pachymetric values, most of the corneal front surface, corneal volume, as well as anterior chamber depth measurements were significantly lower in the SSc group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Significant negative correlation was found between corneal parameters and age on the one hand, and disease duration on the other. Conclusions: Early recognition of corneal impairment, a possible extraintestinal manifestation of SSc, should be included in the check-up of the disease in order to reduce sight-threatening complications.
Purpose: Corneal involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is rare, but due to rich collagen composition cornea is especially vulnerable to connective tissue diseases. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate corneal parameters of SSc patients. Methods: The study included 32 SSc patients and 39 control subjects with no ocular symptoms or ocular surface disorders. All study participants underwent Pentacam evaluation and objective signs of dry eye disease (DED), and clinical parameters were evaluated. Results: All pachymetric values, most of the corneal front surface, corneal volume, as well as anterior chamber depth measurements were significantly lower in the SSc group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Significant negative correlation was found between corneal parameters and age on the one hand, and disease duration on the other. Conclusions: Early recognition of corneal impairment, a possible extraintestinal manifestation of SSc, should be included in the check-up of the disease in order to reduce sight-threatening complications.