Systemic Corticosteroid Use after Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Diagnosis

To analyze the frequency of systemic corticosteroid prescriptions before and after central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) diagnosis.

Retrospective claims-based analysis.

A nationally representative sample of commercial insurance beneficiaries who received care between 2007 and 2015.

We limited the study population to beneficiaries with incident CSC diagnosed by an eye care provider, excluding those with other major ophthalmologic comorbidities. We developed a non-CSC comparison cohort matched to CSC patients by age, sex, general health (Charlson Comorbidity Index), and geographic region. We compared systemic corticosteroid prescriptions before and after CSC diagnosis and by diagnosing provider (optometrist vs. ophthalmologist) and evaluated likelihood of steroids treatment among CSC versus matched control patients using logistic and Cox proportional hazard regression models.

Systemic corticosteroid prescription frequency among CSC patients within 12 months pre-diagnosis and at 6, 12, and 24 months post-diagnosis, median time to steroid initiation and discontinuation, and odds of receiving steroids post-diagnosis among CSC and control patients.

We identified 3418 CSC patients. Nearly 39% (n = 1326) were prescribed systemic steroids at some point during the analysis period, versus 23% of controls (4033 of 17 178 patients). Over 12% of CSC patients (n = 430) within 1 year pre-diagnosis, and nearly 12% (n = 404) within 1 year post-diagnosis. Most patients who received steroids after diagnosis were steroid naive (n = 231). Among those receiving steroids, CSC patients demonstrated longer median time to first post-diagnosis steroid prescription (1.82 years vs. 0.50 years for non-CSC patients) and longer time to last steroid prescription (1.62 years vs. 0.35 years for non-CSC patients). Although CSC patients were significantly less likely to receive steroids within 6 months post-diagnosis compared with non-CSC patients (odds ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.59-0.89), they were significantly more likely to receive steroids by 2 years post-diagnosis. Prescribing patterns were similar for patients diagnosed by an ophthalmologist versus optometrist.

Despite evidence showing that steroids contribute to CSC development, many patients continue to be prescribed systemic corticosteroids after CSC diagnosis. Our results suggest a need for greater communication and collaboration among providers to ensure that clinical practice reflects evidence-based recommendations.