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Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease

Tetsuya Muto1,2,3, Masaaki Sakamoto4, Shoichiro Kusuda4

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Dokkyo Medical University Saitama Medical Center, Koshigaya, 343-8555, Japan. ueda.castle@gmail.com.

Scientific Reports
|June 8, 2024
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease prevalence among new patients in Japan. However, clinical features and visual outcomes for VKH disease patients remained unaffected.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a rare, systemic inflammatory condition affecting ocular and neurological systems.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures may influence the incidence of various medical conditions.
  • Understanding disease prevalence shifts during such events is crucial for healthcare planning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 state of emergency declaration in Japan on the prevalence and clinical characteristics of new Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease cases.
  • To compare the prevalence rates of VKH disease and acute angle closure (AAC) before and after the state of emergency.
  • To assess if clinical features, visual acuity, or recurrence rates of VKH disease were altered post-emergency declaration.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study comparing new VKH disease patients diagnosed before and after April 7, 2020 (state of emergency declaration in Japan).
  • Analysis of demographic data (sex ratio, age) and clinical outcomes (best-corrected visual acuity - BCVA, recurrence rates) for VKH patients.
  • Comparison of prevalence rates for VKH disease and acute angle closure (AAC) between the 'Before' and 'After' groups.

Main Results:

  • A statistically significant increase in the prevalence of newly diagnosed VKH disease was observed in the 'After' group compared to the 'Before' group (P < 0.05).
  • The prevalence of acute angle closure (AAC) also significantly increased in the 'After' group (P < 0.001).
  • No significant differences were found in the sex ratio or age distribution of VKH patients between the two periods. Best-corrected visual acuity and recurrence rates remained comparable, indicating no significant impact on clinical features.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan was associated with a significant rise in the incidence of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease among new patients.
  • Despite the increased prevalence, the clinical presentation, visual outcomes, and recurrence patterns of VKH disease did not appear to be significantly affected by the pandemic.
  • The study highlights a potential link between pandemic-related stress or lifestyle changes and the onset of VKH disease, warranting further investigation.

Keywords:
COVID-19PandemicsPrevalenceSex ratioVisual acuityVogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease

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