Table 2.
Baseline Characteristics of Included Patients and Controls, Presented as Median ± Standard Deviation Unless Stated Otherwise
| Characteristics | Scleritis Discovery Cohort (n = 39) | Scleritis Validation Cohort (n = 15) | Healthy Controls (n = 30) | Uveitis Controls (n = 11)∗ | RA Controls (n = 12) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at inclusion, yrs | 53 ± 21 | 55 ± 20 | 55 ± 17 | 57 ± 25 | 60 ± 29 | 0.89 |
| Male, n (%) | 10 (26) | 7 (47) | 15 (50) | 7 (64) | 1 (8) | 0.014 |
| Scleritis patients | ||||||
| Age onset scleritis, yrs | 52 ± 18 | 47 ± 22 | 0.52 | |||
| Duration scleritis, yrs | 2 ± 5 | 2 ± 5 | 0.59 | |||
| Bilateral disease, n (%) | 21 (54) | 5 (33) | 0.23 | |||
| Etiology, n (%) | 0.21 | |||||
| Systemic disease† | 10 (26) | 5 (33) | ||||
| Idiopathic | 29 (74) | 9 (60) | ||||
| Location scleritis, n (%) | 0.44 | |||||
| Anterior | 18 (46) | 4 (27) | ||||
| Posterior | 4 (10) | 1 (7) | ||||
| Sclero-uveitis | 12 (31) | 6 (40) | ||||
| Panscleritis | 5 (13) | 4 (27) | ||||
| Subtype scleritis, n (%) | 0.32 | |||||
| Diffuse | 21 (60) | 10 (83) | ||||
| Nodular | 9 (26) | 1 (8) | ||||
| Necrotizing | 5 (14) | 1 (8) | ||||
| Complications, n (%)‡ | 23 (59) | 8 (57)§ | 0.57 | |||
| Systemic treatment at inclusion, n (%)‖ | 30 (77) | 9 (60) | 0.31 | |||
| NSAIDs/CS < 3 mos | 14 (36) | 3 (20) | 0.37 | |||
| DMARDs/CS > 3 mos | 17 (44) | 5 (33) | 0.46 | |||
| Biologicals/cytostatics | 10 (26) | 3 (20) | 0.46 | |||
A Pearson chi-square test was used for categorical data, whereas a one-way analysis of variance or Student t test was used for continuous data.
CS = corticosteroids; DMARDs = disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; NSAIDs = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RA = rheumatoid arthritis.
In one patient with uveitis, no tear fluid was collected.
In the discovery cohort, out of 11 patients with systemic disease, 6 had RA, 2 had Crohn’s disease, 1 had relapsing polychondritis, 1 had granulomatosis with polyangiitis, 1 had arthritis psoriatica, and 1 had sarcoidosis. In the validation cohort, out of 4 patients with systemic disease, 2 had relapsing polychondritis, 1 had GCA, and 1 had sarcoidosis.
Including scleral necrosis (n = 8; 20%), cataract (n = 8; 20%), cystoid macular edema and/or papillitis (n = 10; 25%), choroidal effusion/detachment/folds (n = 8; 20%), serous retinal detachment (n = 4; 10%); peripheral ulcerative keratitis (n = 3; 8%), diplopia (n = 1; 3%), synechiae (n = 1; 3%), ocular hypertension (n = 1; 3%), and enucleation (n = 1; 3%).
For 1 patient in the validation cohort, data on complications was unknown.
From 30 patients using systemic treatment at inclusion, 8 used treatment for <1 months, 5 for <3 months, and 17 for >3 months before inclusion.