Skin and ophthalmic complications of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Immunosuppressive agents are routinely used to control autoimmunity. However, some adverse events are correlated to their clinical applications. The aim of this study was to study the clinical findings and ocular and cutaneous side effects of chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), as current immunosuppressive drugs, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 360 individuals referred to the Rheumatology clinic during 2003-2020. Demographic characteristics and other information were collected from patients with RA and SLE. Skin and ocular complications were evaluated in patients who were on treatment with CQ and HCQ. Results: Study populations consisted of 199 subjects with RA and 161 cases with SLE. The frequencies of skin and ocular complications in all patients treated with CQ and HCQ were 42 (11.66%) and 97 (26.9%), respectively. The prevalence of skin complications in patients with RA and SLE was 20 (10.1%) and 22 (13.7%), respectively. The frequencies of ocular complications in patients with RA and SLE were, respectively, 60 (30.2%) and 37 (23%). The results showed that ocular complications in patients with RA were significantly associated with disease duration (p <0.05). Cutaneous and ocular complications in patients showed a significant difference with the cumulative dose of drug (p <0.05). Conclusion:Based on these findings, treatment with CQ and HCQ participates in some skin and ocular complications in patients with RA and SLE which are largely associated with the duration of disease and treatment.