Concomitant herpetic keratitis and acute retinal necrosis: clinical features and outcomes

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors, prognosis, and management in patients with concomitant herpetic keratitis and acute retinal necrosis (ARN).

In this retrospective observational series, ARN patients in the Greater Vancouver area from 2004 to 2018 were identified through key words, billing codes, and dispensing data from medical records of affiliate researchers and the pharmacy at Vancouver General Hospital.

Twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with ARN during this period. Five of those were also diagnosed with herpetic keratitis. Thus, the incidence of combined keratitis and ARN was 18% of patients with ARN. The two diseases occurred concomitantly in four out of five patients. Mean age at diagnosis was 55 ± 17 years. Of the five patients with both corneal and retinal involvement, three patients were immunocompromised and three had a history of herpetic diseases. Three developed disciform keratitis and two developed stromal immune keratitis. Clinical management and outcomes of these patients did not differ from patients with ARN alone, except for a lower rate of retinal detachment (p = 0.006) and a higher proportion with visual acuity ≥ 20/200 (p = 0.01).

Keratitis may complicate the clinical picture of one out of five to six patients with ARN. Comprehensive ophthalmic examination, including careful anterior segment exams in patients with ARN and sequential dilated fundus exams in patients with herpetic keratitis, should always be conducted to identify cases of concomitant disease.