Birdshot retinochoroiditis in Brazil: a multicenter review of 40 patients

Abstract

Abstract Background Birdshot retinochoroiditis (BRC) is a rare and chronic bilateral uveitis mostly found in Caucasians. As few data are available about the clinical course of BRC in Hispanic patients, we aimed to report the clinical findings and the evolution of BRC in Brazilian patients. Methods This retrospective cohort multicenter nationwide study was performed by analyzing the records of patients with BRC diagnoses from Brazilian ophthalmological centers from April 1995 to May 2020. Results Forty patients (80 eyes) with a diagnosis of BRC were evaluated. The mean age was 53 years, and there was no sex predominance. All tested patients (34/40) were positive for HLA-A29. The diagnosis of BRC was made following the Levinson et al. criteria, and all ancillary tests were performed to exclude differential diagnoses. Clinical signs and symptoms, such as complications and treatment, were described. Conclusions BRC evolution in Brazilian patients seems to have some peculiarities that diverge from the published literature available about Caucasians, as AS inflammation is higher in this population.