"During COVID-19"Threefold increase in retinal cold"What kind of disease is it?
Jul 18, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has swept the global community for a long time, has affected the incidence and progress of various diseases.
In ophthalmology, studies on COVID-19 infection and eye diseases related to the vaccine are being conducted from various angles.
▶MEsWDS, which is called 'retinal cold', tripled during the COVID-19 period
Song Yong-yeon, director of the Retinal Center at Onnuri Eye Hospital in Jeonju, analyzed the development of the disappearance of multiple grayish-white spots (MEWDS) before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and recently published it in the SCI-class international journal (Scientific Report, impact factor 4.6).
Director Song Yong-yeon's team said in the paper that the incidence of retinal disease (MEWDS) called 'cold on the eye' or 'cold on the retina' has significantly increased by three times during the pandemic compared to before COVID-19.
The research team analyzed the six-year incidence of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (hereinafter referred to as MEWDS) and the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single center in Korea. As of March 11, 2020, the WHO pandemic declaration date, patients with outbreaks were investigated by dividing them into pre-COVID-19 groups (March 11, 2017 to March 10, 2020) and COVID-19 groups (March 11, 2020 to March 10, 2023).
As a result, based on the patient diagnosis date, the pre-COVID-19 group had six MEWDS cases out of a total of 54,262 survey subjects over three years, resulting in an incidence of 0.011%, while the post-COVID-19 group had an incidence of 0.030% out of a total of 45,944 cases over three years.
In addition, the annual incidence of MEWDS between 2017 and 2022 showed significant increases of 0.73, 0.75, 0.78, 1.32, 2.49, and 2.07 per 10,000 people, respectively. In addition, the morbidity rate of men in the COVID pandemic group was higher than that of the pre-pandemic group, the age range of incidence was increased, and the course was also diverse. This suggests that the incidence and expression of MEWDS are likely to become more diverse in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
▶ What kind of disease is the loss of multiple white spots (MEWDS)?
Disappearing polyposis (MEWDS) is a type of epiploiculitis that causes vision loss by depositing multiple grayish-white spots on the retinal pigment epithelium or the outer retinal membrane and causing damage to the visual cells in the macula. A number of white spots appear on the fundus examination.
This disease is a rare disease that often occurs primarily in young women as monoculars and has an estimated annual incidence of 0.22 per 100,000 people. Although the exact pathogenesis is unclear, it has been suggested that an immunological or autoimmune response in which viral infection and infection appear may be the cause. For this reason, it is sometimes expressed as a cold caught in the eye or a cold caught in the retina. Among the patients, cold-like symptoms are preceded, and there are cases of complaining of vision loss, photopia, and visual field loss.
Most patients naturally heal between 3 and 10 weeks without treatment, and during this period, patients may experience temporary changes or discomfort in their vision, but their condition tends to gradually improve. However, even after vision is restored to normal, some symptoms such as visual field abnormalities and optic neuropathy remain.
Song Yong-yeon, director of the Retinal Center at Onnuri Ophthalmology Hospital in Jeonju, said "Most of the patients with incontinent white spots do not require active treatment due to their tendency to recover naturally. However, if symptoms such as discomfort or decreased vision experienced by the patient are serious or do not fully recover over time, treatment for symptom relief should be considered at the judgment of the doctor," he stressed.
He then advised that "Despite the tendency of symptoms to improve naturally, patients who have experienced vanishing polyposis should undergo regular ophthalmic examinations because recurrence and complications may occur."
In ophthalmology, studies on COVID-19 infection and eye diseases related to the vaccine are being conducted from various angles.
▶MEsWDS, which is called 'retinal cold', tripled during the COVID-19 period
Song Yong-yeon, director of the Retinal Center at Onnuri Eye Hospital in Jeonju, analyzed the development of the disappearance of multiple grayish-white spots (MEWDS) before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and recently published it in the SCI-class international journal (Scientific Report, impact factor 4.6).
Director Song Yong-yeon's team said in the paper that the incidence of retinal disease (MEWDS) called 'cold on the eye' or 'cold on the retina' has significantly increased by three times during the pandemic compared to before COVID-19.
The research team analyzed the six-year incidence of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (hereinafter referred to as MEWDS) and the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single center in Korea. As of March 11, 2020, the WHO pandemic declaration date, patients with outbreaks were investigated by dividing them into pre-COVID-19 groups (March 11, 2017 to March 10, 2020) and COVID-19 groups (March 11, 2020 to March 10, 2023).
As a result, based on the patient diagnosis date, the pre-COVID-19 group had six MEWDS cases out of a total of 54,262 survey subjects over three years, resulting in an incidence of 0.011%, while the post-COVID-19 group had an incidence of 0.030% out of a total of 45,944 cases over three years.
In addition, the annual incidence of MEWDS between 2017 and 2022 showed significant increases of 0.73, 0.75, 0.78, 1.32, 2.49, and 2.07 per 10,000 people, respectively. In addition, the morbidity rate of men in the COVID pandemic group was higher than that of the pre-pandemic group, the age range of incidence was increased, and the course was also diverse. This suggests that the incidence and expression of MEWDS are likely to become more diverse in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
▶ What kind of disease is the loss of multiple white spots (MEWDS)?
Disappearing polyposis (MEWDS) is a type of epiploiculitis that causes vision loss by depositing multiple grayish-white spots on the retinal pigment epithelium or the outer retinal membrane and causing damage to the visual cells in the macula. A number of white spots appear on the fundus examination.
This disease is a rare disease that often occurs primarily in young women as monoculars and has an estimated annual incidence of 0.22 per 100,000 people. Although the exact pathogenesis is unclear, it has been suggested that an immunological or autoimmune response in which viral infection and infection appear may be the cause. For this reason, it is sometimes expressed as a cold caught in the eye or a cold caught in the retina. Among the patients, cold-like symptoms are preceded, and there are cases of complaining of vision loss, photopia, and visual field loss.
Most patients naturally heal between 3 and 10 weeks without treatment, and during this period, patients may experience temporary changes or discomfort in their vision, but their condition tends to gradually improve. However, even after vision is restored to normal, some symptoms such as visual field abnormalities and optic neuropathy remain.
Song Yong-yeon, director of the Retinal Center at Onnuri Ophthalmology Hospital in Jeonju, said "Most of the patients with incontinent white spots do not require active treatment due to their tendency to recover naturally. However, if symptoms such as discomfort or decreased vision experienced by the patient are serious or do not fully recover over time, treatment for symptom relief should be considered at the judgment of the doctor," he stressed.
He then advised that "Despite the tendency of symptoms to improve naturally, patients who have experienced vanishing polyposis should undergo regular ophthalmic examinations because recurrence and complications may occur."
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