Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the treatment and follow-up of patients with uveitis before and after March 2020 in an ophthalmological center in Bogota, Colombia

Introducción: La uveítis es una causa común de discapacidad visual significativa. Según diferentes estudios tiene una incidencia estimada de 17 a 52 por 100.000 habitantes por año y una prevalencia estimada de 38 a 714 casos por 100.000 habitantes. Puede asociarse a enfermedades sistémicas autoinmunes e infecciosas, requiriendo un abordaje interdisciplinario y un seguimiento estrecho para evitar complicaciones asociadas. El confinamiento derivado de la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) representó un desafío para el manejo y seguimiento de pacientes con uveítis a nivel mundial. Objetivo: Identificar el efecto que tuvo la pandemia de COVID-19 en el tratamiento y seguimiento de pacientes con uveítis en un centro oftalmológico de Bogotá, Colombia. Métodos: Estudio observacional de corte transversal, en el que se recopiló información de las historias clínicas de los pacientes de un centro de oftalmología de Bogotá, Colombia. Se obtuvo el consentimiento informado previo a la aplicación de una encuesta telefónica para la recolección de datos. Los pacientes se clasificaron en 2 grupos: Con seguimiento pospandemia (Wf) y sin seguimiento pospandemia (Nf). Se realizaron análisis estadísticos univariados y bivariados con el sistema JAMOVI 2.2.5 según las características de las variables. Resultados: Sesenta y tres pacientes fueron incluidos en el estudio. Se documentó cambio de tratamiento en el 40,7% (Wf) y el 44% (Nf) de los pacientes y se informó continuación del seguimiento de uveítis en el 70,9% (Wf) y el 61,1% (Nf) de los pacientes. La inflamación intraocular prepandemia se relacionó con una mayor percepción de dificultad en el seguimiento por parte del especialista en úvea (p: 0,049). El 50% de los pacientes con inflamación intraocular durante la evaluación prepandemia persistió con inflamación en la evaluación pospandemia (p: 0,052). No hubo ninguna diferencia estadísticamente significativa en las variables de tratamiento antes y después de la pandemia. Conclusión: La pandemia de COVID-19 representó un desafío para los pacientes con uveítis y los médicos en cuanto al tratamiento y seguimiento. Hay poca información en la literatura que retrate el impacto de la pandemia en los pacientes con uveítis. Se requieren más estudios para mejorar las estrategias de acceso y seguimiento de nuestros pacientes, incluso en condiciones donde la asistencia se ve afectada.Background: Uveitis is a common cause of significant visual impairment. According to different studies, it has an estimated incidence of 17 to 52 per 100,000 inhabitants per year and an estimated prevalence of 38 to 714 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. It can be associated with autoimmune and infectious systemic diseases, requiring an interdisciplinary approach and close follow-up to avoid associated complications. The lockdown derived from the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic represented a challenge for managing and following up patients with uveitis worldwide. Objective: To identify the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the treatment and follow-up of patients with uveitis in an ophthalmological center in Bogota, Colombia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study, in which information was collected from the patient's medical records from an ophthalmology center in Bogotá, Colombia. Informed consent was previously obtained before applying a phone survey to gather data. Patients were classified into 2 groups: With post-pandemic follow-up (Wf) and without post-pandemic follow-up (Nf). Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were performed with the JAMOVI 2.2.5 system according to the variables’ characteristics. Results: Sixty-three patients were included in the study. Change in the treatment was documented in 40.7% (Wf) and 44% (Nf) of patients and continuation of the uveitis follow-up was reported in 70.9% (Wf) and 61.1% (Nf) of the patients. Pre-pandemic intraocular inflammation was related to a greater difficulty perception in follow-up by the uvea specialist (p: 0.049). Fifty percent of the patients with intraocular inflammation during the pre-pandemic evaluation persisted with inflammation in the post-pandemic evaluation (p: 0.052). There was not any statistically significant difference in treatment variables before and after the pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic represented a challenge for patients with uveitis and physicians in terms of treatment and follow-up. There is little information in the literature that portrays the impact of the pandemic on uveitis patients. More studies are required to improve our patients' access and follow-up strategies, even in conditions where attendance is affected

Uveitis and Dry Eye Disease in Children: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

This study aims to evaluate the ocular surface characteristics in children diagnosed with uveitis and explore the association between uveitis and dry eye disease (DED). We included 84 children, 42 with uveitis and 42 healthy children. We performed the OSDI questionnaire and several ocular surface tests, including osmolarity, NITBUT, Schirmer test, and vital staining. We used Fisher’s exact test and Mann-Whitney to compare variables and a binomial logistic regression to determine the factors associated with DED. The difference in the prevalence of DED between uveitis (54.8%) and healthy (31%) groups was statistically significant (p p p p  Our findings demonstrate a significantly higher prevalence of DED in children with uveitis compared to their healthy counterparts. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that the risk of DED in pediatric patients with uveitis is threefold higher than in healthy children. Therefore, it is crucial for clinicians to vigilantly monitor the development of DED in pediatric patients with uveitis and consider the implementation of preventive treatments.</p