Frequency of ocular manifestations in rheumatic autoimmune diseases (ARDs); a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Autoimmune disorders involve diverse symptomatic manifestations constituting an abnormal or exaggerated immune function and serve to attack self-antigens and result in tissue destruction. This study aims to comprehensively analyse the prevalence, type, associative factors, and the resultant impact of ocular symptoms on patients presented to rheumatology departments of multi-center tertiary care hospitals in Lahore. Methods. A total of 300 patients were studied during the time frame of Jan 2021-Dec 2022. Results. Rheumatoid Arthritis comprised 45.7 % (n=137) of patients, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) was present in 34.3% (N=103) patients. Spondylarthritis 8.3%, Granulomatous Polyangiitis 3.3%, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis 0.7%, and Bechet Disease 2.3% were present. The total number of patients who developed eye manifestations was 18%. Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca was observed in 4 females and 2 males with overall frequency of 11.1%. Conclusions. Our study showed a surge in the cases of SLE diagnosed and witnessed during the period of 2022, but our study showed an overall decrease in the incidence of eye complications.