Prevalence of ocular findings in a sample of Egyptian patients with psoriasis

Background: Psoriasis is a common disorder worldwide. The prevalence of psoriasis in Egypt, an African country with a Caucasian population, ranges 0.19-3%. Despite this relatively high prevalence of psoriasis, there are no epidemiologic data regarding the burden of associated eye affection. Determining the magnitude of the problem could help in offering better integrated health services. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate eye involvement in a sample of Egyptian psoriatic patients. Patients and Methods: This case-control study included 100 patients with psoriasis and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls. Psoriasis extent and severity was graded by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Complete ophthalmological examination and tests for dry eye were performed to all subjects. Results: The mean age of the psoriasis group was 50.7 +/- 14.3 years. Thirty eight percent of the cases were females. The mean duration of psoriasis was 10.1 +/- 7.5 years. Psoriasis patients had more conjunctival injection (n = 40, P = 0.035), more pinguecula (n = 38, P = 0.048) than controls. Ocular surface disease index (OSDI), tear breakup time (TBUT), Schirmer I, and Rose Bengal staining showed statistically significant positive results in the psoriasis group. Conclusion: This is the first report on the prevalence of eye comorbidities in Egyptian psoriatic patients. Dry eyes were more common with psoriasis, particularly the erythrodermic type. Other ocular findings were not statistically significantly different except for conjunctival injection and pinguecula.