Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos1, Ioannis Asproudis2, Maria Stefaniotou2, Marilita Moschos3, Constantina Gartzonika4, Ioannis Bassukas5, Spiros Konitsiotis6, Haralampos Milionis7, Georgios Gaitanis5, Konstantinos Malamos2, Chris Kalogeropoulos2. 1. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Ave, 45500, Ioannina, Greece. dkalog1990@gmail.com. 2. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Stavros Niarchos Ave, 45500, Ioannina, Greece. 3. 1St Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Athens G. Gennimatas, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 4. Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece. 5. Department of Skin & Venereal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece. 6. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece. 7. 1St Division of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Analysis of cases with spirochetal uveitis related to spirochetes in a tertiary referral academic center. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with uveitis attributed to Treponema pallidum, Leptospira spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi from June 1991 until December 2019. RESULTS: A total of 57 cases of spirochetal uveitis (22 patients with T. pallidum, 26 with Leptospira spp., and 9 with B. burgdorferi) that consisted 1% of the overall number of uveitics were recorded. All these cases presented with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations (anterior uveitis, posterior uveitis, panuveitis, vasculitis, papillitis, and in some rare cases concomitant posterior scleritis). The treatment included mainly penicillin or doxycycline, while corticosteroids were administered systematically in some cases with Borrelia or Leptospira infection. The final visual outcome was favorable (> 6/10 in Snellen visual acuity) in approximately 76% of our patients. CONCLUSION: Despite being rare, spirochetal uveitis can be detrimental for the vision and must always be included in the differential diagnosis.
PURPOSE: Analysis of cases with spirochetal uveitis related to spirochetes in a tertiary referral academic center. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with uveitis attributed to Treponema pallidum, Leptospira spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi from June 1991 until December 2019. RESULTS: A total of 57 cases of spirochetal uveitis (22 patients with T. pallidum, 26 with Leptospira spp., and 9 with B. burgdorferi) that consisted 1% of the overall number of uveitics were recorded. All these cases presented with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations (anterior uveitis, posterior uveitis, panuveitis, vasculitis, papillitis, and in some rare cases concomitant posterior scleritis). The treatment included mainly penicillin or doxycycline, while corticosteroids were administered systematically in some cases with Borrelia or Leptospira infection. The final visual outcome was favorable (> 6/10 in Snellen visual acuity) in approximately 76% of our patients. CONCLUSION: Despite being rare, spirochetal uveitis can be detrimental for the vision and must always be included in the differential diagnosis.
Authors: Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos; Ioannis Asproudis; Maria Stefaniotou; Marilita M Moschos; Andreas Mentis; Konstantinos Malamos; Chris Kalogeropoulos Journal: Int Ophthalmol Date: 2019-03-09 Impact factor: 2.031