Colombian Ocular Inflammatory Diseases Epidemiology Study (COIDES): Prevalence, Incidence, and Sociodemographic Characterization of Scleritis in Colombia, 2015-2020

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo describe the epidemiological and demographic characteristics of scleritis in Colombia.Methods and AnalysisPopulation-based study using the national database from the Colombian Ministry of Health, using the ICD-10 code for Scleritis (H150) to estimate the prevalence and incidence from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on the epidemiology of the disease during 2020, using the Gaussian Random Markov Field model (CAR model). Finally, a standardized morbidity rate map was made to assess the geographic distribution of scleritis in the country.ResultsThe five-year average incidence and prevalence of scleritis in Colombia were 0.6 (95% CI 0.59-0.6) and 0.65 (95% CI 0.64-0.64) cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. We found 1,429 registers of scleritis throughout the country between 2015 and 2019. Women represented 64.3%. The age groups with most cases were between 40 and 69 years in both sexes. However, women between 30-39 years and men between 20-29 years presented the highest number of new cases. In 2020, the pandemic reduced approximately 0.23 points the incidence of scleritis. Bogotá, Valle del Cauca, and Antioquia had most of the cases, the latter two with an increased risk over time.ConclusionColombia has a lower incidence of scleritis than the reported in other latitudes, with a pattern of presentation at younger ages. Furthermore, the lockdown derived from the CODIV-19 pandemic affected the follow-up and diagnosis of patients with scleritis. This is the first epidemiological description of scleritis in a developing country and South America.Key messagesWhat is already known about this subject?Scleritis epidemiology has been described in developed countries. Its prevalence has been calculated between 1.7 and 93.62 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and its incidence between 1.0 and 5.54 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year.What are the new findings?This study describes the epidemiological characteristics of scleritis in a developing country in South America for the first time, finding that the incidence and prevalence of scleritis in Colombia are 0.6 (95% CI: 0.59-0.6) and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.64-0.64) cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. With a high number of new cases in the young population. Also, the pandemic’s negative impact on the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with scleritis was evidenced.How might these results change the focus of research or clinical practice?This article will promote the generation of new research questions in a population that did not have previous studies on this topic. Also, the data highlight that younger people present more new cases and may need more attention from ophthalmologists. This might be due to a lower incidence of scleritis in the elderly population with autoimmune diseases owing to the treatment with immunomodulatory medications.