Ocular Behçet disease and COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose

to study in patients with Behçet disease and ocular involvement (OBD) the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its influence on the course of OBD.

Methods

all the patients with OBD living in Lazio, one Italian region, and attending the Uveitis center of the Sapienza University of Rome were included in the study.

Results

SARS-CoV-2 infection was found in 12.3% of 54 patients with OBD and in 3.84% of Lazio inhabitants (p  =  0.001, OR 3.51), and it was unrelated to the use of immunosuppressive drugs. COVID-19 symptoms in OBD patients were mild, with one patient only requiring hospitalization for interstitial pneumonia. None of the SARS-CoV-2 infected patients presented any uveitis relapses during the infection and in a subsequent median follow-up of 6 months.

Conclusion

OBD seems to be a risk factor for developing SARS-CoV-2 infection. Usually this infection has a mild course and does not impact negatively on the course of uveitis.