Table 1.
Incidence of blindness in a population of rheumatic patients treated with HCQ
| Percentage (n) | |
|---|---|
| Cohort (n = 31) | |
| Female | 77 (24) |
| Age, mean [s.d. (range)], years | 61 [12 (23–76)] |
| Race | |
| White | 45.2 (14) |
| African American | 48.4 (15) |
| Hispanic | 6.5 (2) |
| Rheumatological diagnosisa | |
| RA | 48.4 (15) |
| SLE and subacute and discoid lupus | 38.7 (12) |
| Other | 19.4 (6) |
| HCQ treatment | |
| Duration of use, mean [s.d. (range)], months | 72.2 [75.5 (0–300)] |
| Cumulative dose, mean [s.d. (range)], g | 833.2 [902.0 (0–3600)] |
| Dose at initiation by actual body weight, mean [s.d. (range)], mg/kg | 4.49 [1.8 (1.69–7.34)] |
| Co-morbiditiesa | |
| Hypertension | 67.7 (21) |
| Chronic kidney disease (stage 1–5) | 58.1 (18) |
| Cataracts | 35.5 (11) |
| Diabetes mellitus (types 1 and 2) | 19.4 (6) |
| Glaucoma | 6.5 (2) |
| Chronic hepatitis C virus | 3.2 (1) |
| Liver disease [fatty liver (1), liver cirrhosis (1)] | 6.4 (2) |
| Other ocular disease [retinal holes, retinal tear, chronic posterior vitreous detachment (2), macular degeneration, coloboma of retina, optic neuropathy secondary to alcohol/poor nutrition, episcleritis, malignancy, iron line] | 22.6 (7) |
| Tamoxifen use | 0.0 (0) |
| Blindness | |
| None (incorrect diagnosis on problem list) | 9.4 (3) |
| Blindness of one or both eyes | 35.5 (11) |
| Reason for blindness (n = 11)a | |
| Bull’s eye maculopathy or retinopathy related to HCQ use | 0.0 (0) |
| Stroke | 18.2 (2) |
| Pre-existing macular disease | 18.2 (2) |
| Diabetic retinopathy | 18.2 (2) |
| Hypertensive retinopathy | 9.1 (1) |
| Cataract | 9.1 (1) |
| Other [congenital (2), tuberculosis (1), malignancy (1), pseudotumour cerebri (1), amblyopia since childhood (1), unknown (1)] | 63.6 (7) |
| Vision impairment | 51.6 (17) |
| Reasons for vision impairment (n = 17)a | |
| Refractive error [Myopia (5)/hyperopia (4)/presbyopia | 88.2 (15) |
| (7)/amblyopia (1)] | |
| Diabetic retinopathy | 7.1 (1) |
| Hypertensive retinopathy | 7.1 (1) |
| Retinal detachment | 7.1 (1) |
| Optic neuropathy attributable to alcohol consumption/poor nutrition | 7.1 (1) |
| Cataract | 7.1 (1) |
a
More than one option is possible for some cases.