Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a group of rare diseases involving more than 340 genes and a variety of clinical phenotypes that lead to significant visual impairment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the rates and genetic characteristics of IRDs in the southeastern region of the United States (US). A retrospective chart review was performed on 325 patients with a clinical diagnosis of retinal dystrophy. Data including presenting symptoms, visual acuity, retinal exam findings, imaging findings, and genetic test results were compiled and compared to national and international IRD cohorts. The known ethnic groups included White (64%), African American or Black (30%), Hispanic (3%), and Asian (2%). The most prevalent dystrophies identified clinically were non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa (29.8%), Stargardt disease (8.3%), Usher syndrome (8.3%), cone-rod dystrophy (8.0%), cone dystrophy (4.9%), and Leber congenital amaurosis (4.3%). Of the 101 patients (31.1%) with genetic testing, 54 (53.5%) had causative genetic variants identified. The most common pathogenic genetic variants were USH2A (n = 11), ABCA4 (n = 8), CLN3 (n = 7), and CEP290 (n = 3). Our study provides initial information characterizing IRDs within the diverse population of the southeastern US, which differs from national and international genetic and diagnostic trends with a relatively high proportion of retinitis pigmentosa in our African American or Black population and a relatively high frequency of USH2A pathogenic variants.
Keywords: Southeastern United States; Stargardt disease; Usher syndrome; retinal dystrophy; retinitis pigmentosa.