Mooren ulcer in outh India: erology and clinical rik factor Original Reearch Article

PURPOE: To invetigate the rate of undiagnoed rheumatologic dieae and hepatiti C infection among patient with the clinical diagnoi of Mooren ulcer een at Aravind Eye Hopital, Madurai, outh India. METHOD: Twenty-one patient with the clinical diagnoi of Mooren ulcer and 44 control patient underwent a complete ophthalmic hitory and examination, a well a erologic teting for antinuclear antibodie, rheumatoid factor, antineutrophil cytoplamic antibodie, herpe implex viru 1 antibodie, and hepatiti C viru antibodie. REULT: There were no tatitically ignificant difference in the rate of eropoitivity for antinuclear antibodie, rheumatoid factor, antineutrophil cytoplamic antibodie, herpe implex viru 1 antibodie, and hepatiti C viru antibodie between patient with Mooren ulcer and control patient. Two patient with Mooren ulcer and four control patient were found to have a rheumatoid factor titer of greater than 1:20. One of the control patient, but none of the patient with Mooren ulcer, wa found to have erologic evidence of hepatiti C infection. A hitory of corneal trauma, urgery, or infection wa reported by 68% of patient with Mooren ulcer, compared with 20% of control patient (P < .001). Among patient with Mooren ulcer, bilateral dieae occurred in 37% of patient, viual acuity wa reduced to light perception in 15% of eye, and perforation occurred in 19% of eye. CONCLUION: Nineteen (90%) of 21 patient with the clinical diagnoi of Mooren ulcer were found to have no evidence of an underlying rheumatologic dieae by hitory, examination, or erologic teting, and none wa eropoitive for hepatiti C. However, patient with Mooren ulcer were more likely than control patient to report a hitory of corneal trauma, urgery, or infection.