Background: Topical and systemic steroids are the first line of treatment of non infectious inflammatory ocular disease. Immunosuppresants are reserved as a second line treatment.
Aim: To evaluate the role of Azathioprine (AZA) as a coadyuvant immunosuppressive treatment for non infectious ocular inflammatory diseases (OIDs) resistant to systemic steroid therapy in a retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series.
Patients and methods: Patients using oral Prednisone due to an active or recurrent OID, without clinical response, and not receiving any other immunosuppressive treatment were studied. A standard protocol of oral Prednisone (0.5 mg/kg/ day) and oral AZA (2-3 mg/kg/day) during one year was used. Ocular and systemic monthly evaluations were done including relapse rate, steroid dosage, inflammatory score and visual acuity.
Results: Thirty patients (10 male) aged 18-75 years (mean 44 years) were studied. Three had bilateral anterior uveitis, one had pars planitis, four had diffuse uveitis, eight Vogt-Koyanahi-Harada syndrome, three Behget's disease, three necrotizing scleritis and eight had retinochoroidopathy A complete initial response was observed in 26 patients (87%). The time of response was between 1 to 6 months (mean 2.65 months). Seventeen percent of these had a relapse 6 to 12 months after AZA was started. In 61 %, visual acuity improved. The ocular inflammatory score decreased in 86.5%. Eleven patients had mild controlled side effects that did not require discontinuation of AZA.
Conclusions: Combined systemic steroid and oral AZA therapy is safe and effective in controlling steroid resistant non infectious inflammatory ocular diseases.