Table 1.
The clinical information and ocular surface disorders of the study participants
| Characteristics | Autoimmune rheumatic patients | Controls | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects (n) | 90 | 30 | |
| Age (years) | 49.87 ± 14.89 | 43.13 ± 20.29 | 0.10 |
| Gender-Female, n (%) | 77 (85.56) | 24 (80.00) | 0.47 |
| Gender ratio-Female/Male (age 18–40), n | 26: 1 | 12: 2 | 0.27 |
| Gender ratio-Female/Male (age 41–60), n | 34: 7 | 4: 2 | 0.32 |
| Gender ratio-Female/Male (age 61–80), n | 17: 5 | 8: 2 | 0.86 |
| OSDI score | 17.92 ± 17.40 | 10.07 ± 14.75 | 0.03* |
| OSDI level, n (%) | 0.02* | ||
| 0 (0–12) | 46 (51.11) | 24 (80.00) | |
| 1 (13–22) | 17 (18.89) | 3 (10.00) | |
| 2 (23–32) | 8 (8.89) | 0 | |
| 3 (≥ 33) | 19 (21.11) | 3 (10.00) | |
| Eyes (n) | 180 | 60 | |
| Schirmer I test (mm/5 min) | 9.19 ± 8.44 | 12.80 ± 10.25 | 0.007* |
| Schirmer I test level, n (%) | 0.15 | ||
| Normal (> 10 mm/5 min) | 65 (36.11) | 28 (46.67) | |
| Abnormal (≤ 10 mm/5 min) | 115 (63.89) | 32 (53.33) | |
| TBUT (s) | 5.76 ± 3.19 | 6.40 ± 3.41 | 0.18 |
| TBUT level, n (%) | 0.73 | ||
| Normal (> 10 s) | 21 (11.67) | 8 (13.33) | |
| Abnormal (≤ 10 s) | 159 (88.33) | 52 (86.67) | |
| Corneal fluorescein staining, n (%) | < 0.001* | ||
| Normal (Grade 0) | 134 (74.44) | 57 (95.00) | |
| Abnormal (≥ Grade 1) | 46 (25.56) | 3 (5.00) | |
| Meibomian gland secretion, n (%) | 0.23 | ||
| Normal (Grade 0) | 106 (58.89) | 30 (50.00) | |
| Abnormal (≥ Grade 1) | 74 (41.11) | 30 (50.00) | |
| LIPCOF, n (%) | 0.003* | ||
| Normal (Grade 0) | 135 (75.00) | 49 (81.67) | |
| Abnormal (≥ Grade 1) | 45 (25.00) | 11 (18.33) | |
| Symblepharon presence, n (%) | - | ||
| Normal | 180 (100) | 60 (100) | |
| Abnormal | 0 | 0 | |
| Corneal clarity, n (%) | 0.56 | ||
| Normal | 178 (98.89) | 60 (100) | |
| Abnormal | 2 (1.11) | 0 | |
| Dry eye level, n (%) | < 0.001* | ||
| No dry eye | 86 (47.78) | 47 (78.33) | |
| I | 31 (17.22) | 2 (3.33) | |
| II | 36 (20.00) | 6 (10.00) | |
| III | 27 (15.00) | 5 (8.33) | |
| IV | 0 | 0 | |
| Classification of dry eye, n (%) | < 0.001* | ||
| No dry eye | 86 (47.78) | 47 (78.33) | |
| Aqueous deficiency dry eye | 37 (20.56) | 6 (10.00) | |
| Evaporative dry eye | 29 (16.11) | 2 (3.33) | |
| Mixed dry eye | 28 (15.56) | 5 (8.33) |
OSDI Ocular Surface Disease Index, TBUT Tear film break-up time, LIPCOF Lid-parallel conjunctival folds, n number, mm millimeter, min minute, s second
P value means autoimmune rheumatic patients compared to controls, *P < 0.05