Association Between Thyroid Disease and Scleritis Using a Population-Based Method

Purpose: To investigate the association between scleritis and thyroid eye disease in a U.S. Midwestern county population. Methods: Retrospective, case-control study of all patients diagnosed with ocular inflammatory disease in Olmsted County, Minnesota from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2015. Patients were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project database, which contains virtually all medical care in the county. Medical records were reviewed to confirm diagnosis of scleritis. A 3:1 age- and sex-matched control group was also identified using the database. Patient records for the cases and control group were also reviewed to confirm diagnosis of thyroid disease. Results: There were 87 patients with scleritis during the 10-year study period, of which 12 (14%) were diagnosed with thyroid disease. In comparison, there were 261 control patients, of which 30 (11%) had thyroid disease. After adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking status, and history of autoimmune disease, the odds ratio of patients with thyroid disease having scleritis compared to patients without thyroid disease was 1.23 (p = 0.57). However, autoimmune disorders were present in 17 (20%) of scleritis cases versus 16 (6%) patients in the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There was no statistically significant association between scleritis and thyroid disease in this study. However, there was a significant association between scleritis and other autoimmune diseases. Further research is needed to explore the pathophysiologic mechanisms and systemic associations in thyroid disease and ocular inflammatory diseases.