SEQUENTIAL CHANGES IN HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE RETINOPATHY UP TO 20 YEARS AFTER STOPPING THE DRUG
- 1 March 2019
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Retina
- Vol. 39 (3), 492-501
- https://doi.org/10.1097/iae.0000000000002408
Abstract
To characterize the stability or progression of different stages of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy up to 20 years after stopping the drug. We reviewed findings from 13 patients with initial HCQ retinopathy classified as early (patchy photoreceptor damage), moderate (ring of photoreceptor thinning or scotoma), or severe (retinal pigment epithelial [RPE] damage). Patients had been off HCQ for as many as 14 years at initial examination and were subsequently followed for 5 years to 8 years with repeated fundus autofluorescence and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Early and moderate cases stabilized in fundus autofluorescence appearance, foveal thickness, ellipsoid zone line length, and visual acuity for up to 9 years after stopping HCQ. By contrast, severe cases demonstrated a continual loss of these parameters for up to 20 years off the drug. The presence of RPE damage at initial examination predicted progressive retinopathy over many years. The steady progression of severe HCQ retinopathy in eyes showing RPE damage after drug cessation suggests a metabolic insult that chronically destabilizes rather than destroys cellular function, with a clinical course resembling that of genetic dystrophies. Our findings stress the importance of early detection to minimize progression and visual loss.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Pericentral Retinopathy and Racial Differences in Hydroxychloroquine ToxicityOphthalmology, 2015
- Effect of Disease Stage on Progression of Hydroxychloroquine RetinopathyJAMA Ophthalmology, 2014
- Progression of Hydroxychloroquine Toxic Effects After Drug Therapy CessationJAMA Ophthalmology, 2013
- Delayed onset chloroquine retinopathy presenting 10 years after long-term usage of chloroquineMiddle East African Journal of Ophthalmology, 2013
- Comparison of Screening Procedures in Hydroxychloroquine ToxicityAmerican Journal of Ophthalmology, 2012
- Rates and predictors of hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosusArthritis Care & Research, 2010
- Normalization of generalized retinal function and progression of maculopathy after cessation of therapy in a case of severe hydroxychloroquine retinopathy with 19 years follow-upDocumenta Ophthalmologica, 2010
- Delayed-onset chloroquine retinopathy.British Journal of Ophthalmology, 1986
- Long-Term Course of Chloroquine Retinopathy after Cessation of MedicationAmerican Journal of Ophthalmology, 1979
- Chloroquine RetinopathyAmerican Journal of Ophthalmology, 1963