Progressive subretinal fibrosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and renal dysfunction

We present two patients (56-year-old and 71-year-old women) who developed subretinal fibrosis in parallel with exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis and deteriorated renal function. The first patient developed subretinal fibrosis in the right eye, coupled with multifocal choroiditis and serous retinal detachment in both eyes, in the course of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis complicated with rheumatoid arthritis. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody was positive in a perinuclear pattern (pANCA) and the increased dose of prednisolone to 40 mg/day resulted in subsidence of the subretinal inflammation. The second patient developed subretinal fibrosis in the left eye with mottled retinal pigment epithelium of both eyes, in the course of rheumatoid arthritis and stable chronic renal failure. Although the manifestations of subretinal fibrosis and concurrent renal dysfunction were different between these two patients, subretinal fibrosis might be noted as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis and renal dysfunction.