Orbital/ocular inflammatory involvement in VEXAS syndrome: Data from the international AIDA network VEXAS registry

Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2024 Jun:66:152430. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2024.152430. Epub 2024 Mar 18.

Abstract

VEXAS syndrome is a recently described monogenic autoinflammatory disease capable of manifesting itself with a wide array of organs and tissues involvement. Orbital/ocular inflammatory manifestations are frequently described in VEXAS patients. The objective of this study is to further describe orbital/ocular conditions in VEXAS syndrome while investigating potential associations with other disease manifestations. In the present study, twenty-seven out of 59 (45.8 %) VEXAS patients showed an inflammatory orbital/ocular involvement during their clinical history. The most frequent orbital/ocular affections were represented by periorbital edema in 8 (13.6 %) cases, episcleritis in 5 (8.5 %) patients, scleritis in 5 (8.5 %) cases, uveitis in 4 (6.8 %) cases, conjunctivitis in 4 (6.8 %) cases, blepharitis in 3 (5.1 %) cases, orbital myositis in 2 (3.4 %) cases. A diagnosis of systemic immune-mediated disease was observed in 15 (55.6 %) cases, with relapsing polychondritis diagnosed in 12 patients. A significant association was observed between relapsing polychondritis and orbital/ocular involvement in VEXAS syndrome (Relative Risk: 2.37, 95 % C.I. 1.03-5.46, p = 0.048). Six deaths were observed in the whole cohort of patients after a median disease duration of 1.2 (IQR=5.35) years, 5 (83.3 %) of which showed orbital/ocular inflammatory involvement. In conclusion, this study confirms that orbital/ocular inflammatory involvement is a common finding in VEXAS patients, especially when relapsing polychondritis is diagnosed. This makes ophthalmologists a key figure in the diagnostic process of VEXAS syndrome. The high frequency of deaths observed in this study seems to suggest that patients with orbital/ocular involvement may require increased attention and more careful follow-up.

Keywords: AIDA network VEXAS registry; Autoinflammatory diseases; Myelodysplastic syndrome; Relapsing polychondritis; Scleritis; Uveitis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Eye Diseases / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Hereditary Autoinflammatory Diseases / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Orbital Diseases
  • Polychondritis, Relapsing / complications
  • Polychondritis, Relapsing / diagnosis
  • Polychondritis, Relapsing / epidemiology
  • Registries*
  • Scleritis / diagnosis
  • Scleritis / epidemiology
  • Young Adult