Ocular disorders are the third most common manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a review conducted by Polish investigators and published in The Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Although the clinical manifestations of IBD (e.g., Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) are primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, about 25% of patients are affected by extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), most often involving musculoskeletal disorders, mucocutaneous and ocular pathology in that order.
Lead study author Dr Wiktoria Pytrus, from Ophthalmology Clinical Centre Spektrum, Wroclaw, Poland, urged ophthalmologists to collaborate with gastroenterologists and to perform ophthalmic evaluations on all IBD patients.
He said although ocular involvement in IBD is a rare extraintestinal manifestation, it may be critical because of its potential sight-threatening complications if not treated promptly and accurately.
Dr Pytrus and colleagues reported that ocular complications in IBD patients can be primary, secondary, or accidental. Primary complications are directly related to IBD exacerbations and most often resolve after systemic treatment. The most common primary complications include scleritis, choroiditis, and keratopathy.
Secondary complications include, for example, cataracts due to treatment with corticosteroids or dry eye syndrome due to hypovitaminosis A as a consequence of post-resection short bowel syndrome.
Accidental complications are those that occur in the general population, independent of IBD, e.g., conjunctivitis.
Reference:
Pytrus W. Akutko K, Pytrus T, Turno-Krecicka A. A review of ophthalmic complications in inflammatory bowel diseases. J Clin Med. 2022;11:7457. https:// doi.org/10.3390/jcm11247457
