Behçet’s disease and COVID-19, retrospective analysis

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on the clinical condition of patients with Behçet’s uveitis and compare this with the pre-pandemic state. Patients and methods This retrospective observational study included patients with Behçet’s uveitis who had adequate follow-up before the pandemic (three visits before March 2020) and during the pandemic (two visits between March 2020 and September 2021). We compared uveitis activity, complication rates, and treatment changes during the pandemic with their preCOVID data. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were contacted by phone to confirm previous COVID-19 exposure and vaccination status. Results The study included 59 eyes of 30 patients with Behçet’s uveitis. There was a statistically significant difference between the preCOVID and COVID eras with respect to visual acuity, with median values changed from 1.033 to 1.3 (P=0.003). There was an increase in secondary glaucoma (16.9% to 30.5%, P=0.039), with a corresponding increase in antiglaucoma topical eye drops (20.3–35.6%) (P=0.012). The use of subtenon injections and systemic steroids decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.687 and P=0.481, respectively). However, the average steroid dose and the number of subtenon injections per patient showed a statistically significant decrease during the pandemic (20 and 26.7 mg per day, respectively) compared to the preCOVID era (0 and 1 injection per patient) (P=0.007 and 0.027, respectively). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic did not result in increased uveitis activity, but a decrease in follow-up frequency led to more complications, mainly secondary glaucoma.