{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T15:28:32Z","timestamp":1782833312095,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,2]],"date-time":"2023-03-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1677715200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Purpose: A patient with scleritis may have an associated systemic disease, which is often autoimmunological and seldom infectious in origin. The data regarding such associations in Hispanic populations are scarce. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical characteristics and systemic-disease associations of a cohort of Hispanic patients with scleritis. (2) Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records (January 1990\u2013July 2021) of two private uveitis practices in Puerto Rico was performed. Clinical characteristics and systemic-disease associations observed either at presentation or diagnosed as a consequence of the initial workup were recorded. (3) Results: A total of 178 eyes of 141 patients diagnosed with scleritis were identified. An associated autoimmune disease was present in 33.3% of the patients (rheumatoid arthritis, 22.7%; Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome, 3.5%; relapsing polychondritis, 2.8%; sarcoidosis, 1.4%; systemic lupus erythematosus, 1.4%; and systemic vasculitis, 0.7%). An associated infectious disease was present in 5.7% of the patients (2.13%, syphilis; 1.41%, herpes simplex; 1.14%, herpes zoster; and 0.71%, Lyme disease). One patient had all-trans retinoic-acid-associated scleritis. Statistical analysis revealed that patients with nodular anterior scleritis were less likely to have an associated immune-mediated disease (OR: 0.21; p = 0.011). (4) Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis was the most common systemic autoimmune disease association, while syphilis was the most common infectious disease associated with scleritis patients. Our study suggests that patients with nodular scleritis have a lower risk of having an associated immune-mediated disease.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12051969","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,2]],"date-time":"2023-03-02T01:39:21Z","timestamp":1677721161000},"page":"1969","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Systemic Disease Associations in a Cohort of Hispanic Patients with Scleritis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Cristina","family":"Arruza","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2962-3239","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guillermo A.","family":"Requejo Figueroa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javier","family":"Col\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Estefania","family":"Ramirez Marquez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guillermo","family":"Puebla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniela","family":"Ortega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine, Bayam\u00f3n, PR 00960, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9246-5929","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariella","family":"Pappaterra Rodriguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"},{"name":"Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Ponce, PR 00716, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"L\u00f3pez Fontanet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandra","family":"Col\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1221-9822","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sof\u00eda C.","family":"Ayala Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erick","family":"Rivera Grana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Frances","family":"Marrero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emilio","family":"B\u00e1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carmen","family":"Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7533-6121","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Armando L.","family":"Oliver","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00921, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ophtha.2011.07.013","article-title":"Clinical Characteristics of a Large Cohort of Patients with Scleritis and Episcleritis","volume":"119","author":"Molina","year":"2012","journal-title":"Ophthalmology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"469","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9394(00)00710-8","article-title":"Episcleritis and scleritis: Clinical features and treatment results","volume":"130","author":"Jabs","year":"2000","journal-title":"Am. 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