Abstract

P 094

Dry eye syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its association with polymorphism – 174 interleukin-6

Polanska V.¹, Hlinomazova Z.¹, Zdenek Fojtík Z.^2
1Department of Ophthalmology, ²Department of Internal Medicine and Hematooncology, The Faculty Hospital Brno

Objective: Dry eye syndrome is the most frequent ocular complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It occurs in 20–80% patients.With regard to presence of higher level of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in serum in patients with RA and with respect to documentary enhanced expression of IL-6 in conjunctival epithelium in patients with secondary Sjogren syndrome is possible that one of the factors, that influence development of dry eye syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, is certain genotype in position 174 in gene for interleukin 6. The objective of this cross sectional study was to evaluate the occurrence of dry eye syndrome in patients with RA and evaluate the association between its incidence and certain genotype – 174 IL-6.
Methods: The group consisted of 119 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, out of them 100 females and 19 males, the average age being 60.6 years (SD 13.9). Every patient underwent a complex ophthalmologic examination with a view to the quality of lacrimal film: Schirmer test I, measurement of BUT, appreciation of conjunctival folds and fluorescein cornael staining. We examined the genotype – 174 IL-6 in every patient. The statistical evaluation was carried out by means of Pearson's association test for nominal parameters
Results: We found out dry eye syndrome in 78% patients in our group. Schirmer test I was positive in 70% patients, BUT in 85%, conjunctival folds in 44% and epitelopathy in 17% patients. Severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca was present in 37% of cases. We did not prove statistically significant association with the incidence of dry eye syndrome and polymorphism – 174 IL-6 in patients with RA. We divide all patients in two groups according to their genotype: group A (genotype GG or GC, nA=102) and group B genotype CC, nB=17). We prove statistically significant association between genotype CC and the absence of severe cases of dry eye (Pearson chi quadrate of contingention 5.4 ).
Conclusions: Dry eye syndrome is the most frequent ocular complication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca is less common in patients with the genotype CC.

Copyright: Porstmann Kongresse GmbH. All rights reserved. Impressum, Disclaimer.