Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research
ISSN: 2008-322X
The latest research in clinical ophthalmology and the science of vision.
Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes of Ocular Graft Versus Host Disease following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation
Published date: Sep 16 2024
Journal Title: Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research
Issue title: July–Sep 2024, Volume 19, Issue 3
Pages: 284–296
Authors:
Abstract:
Purpose: To evaluate clinical presentation of chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), laterality of presentation, and longitudinal changes in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
Methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal analysis of 60 eyes from 30 patients who had undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Demographic characteristics, clinical history, comorbidities, and other organ involvements were taken into account for analysis. We also undertook complete evaluation of the eyes, including cornea and anterior segment, posterior segment, Schirmer test, tear break-up time, ocular surface disease index, and intraocular pressure.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 34.3 ± 11 years. The mean time for the diagnosis of ocular GVHD was 232.8 days (95% CI: 153.6, 311.9). The common findings at the first visit were bilateral blepharitis (n = 5, 17%), meibomitis (n = 4, 13%), and conjunctival congestion (n = 3, 10%). While bilateral cataract was present in one (3%) patient at the first visit, at 18 months, five (17%) patients had bilateral cataract and one (3%) patient had unilateral cataract. Grade 1 (n = 17), grade 2 (n = 9), and grade 3 (n = 4) superficial punctate epithelial erosions (SPEEs) were also observed at the first visit. However, SPEEs were seen in only 11 eyes at 18 months; all of these cases were grade 1 SPEEs. Long-term findings included cataract, telangiectasia, blepharospasm, conjunctival congestion, grade 1 SPEEs, corneal filaments, and tear film debris.
Conclusion: Although the initial presentations were SPEEs, meibomitis, blepharitis, and conjunctival congestion, these inflammatory conditions were reduced over time with proper management. However, there was an increase in the proportion of patients with cataract. It is important to regularly monitor these patients in order to identify and manage the initial as well as the late ocular manifestations of chronic GVHD.
Keywords: Anterior Segment, Cornea, Longitudinal Study, Ocular Graft-versus-Host Disease, Posterior Segment
References:
1. Nassar A, Tabbara KF, Aljurf M. Ocular manifestations of graft-versus-host disease. Saudi J Ophthalmol 2013;27:215–222.
2. Nassiri N, Eslani M, Panahi N, Mehravaran S, Ziaei A, Djalilian AR. Ocular graft versus host disease following allogeneic stem cell transplantation: A review of current knowledge and recommendations. J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2013;8:351–358.
3. Justiz Vaillant AA, Modi P, Mohammadi O. Graft-Versus- Host Disease. 2024 Jun 7. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.
4. Nassereddine S, Rafei H, Elbahesh E, Tabbara I. Acute graft versus host disease: A comprehensive review. Anticancer Res 2017;37:1547–1555.
5. Pavletic SZ, Vogelsang GB, Lee SJ. 2014 National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Preface to the series. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2015;21:387–388.
6. Jamil MO, Mineishi S. State-of-the-art acute and chronic GVHD treatment. Int J Hematol 2015;101:452–466.
7. Munir SZ, Aylward J. A review of ocular graft-versus-host disease. Optom Vis Sci 2017;94:545–555.
8. Nair S, Vanathi M, Mukhija R, Tandon R, Jain S, Ogawa Y. Update on ocular graft-versus-host disease. Indian J Ophthalmol 2021;69:1038–1050.
9. Townley JR, Dana R, Jacobs DS. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca manifestations in ocular graft versus host disease: Pathogenesis, presentation, prevention, and treatment. Semin Ophthalmol 2011;26:251–260.
10. Balasubramaniam SC, Raja H, Nau CB, Shen JF, Schornack MM. Ocular graft-versus-host disease: A review. Eye Contact Lens 2015;41:256–261.
11. Kezic JM, Wiffen S, Degli-Esposti M. Keeping an ‘eye’ on ocular GVHD. Clin Exp Optom 2021:1–8.
12. Jacobs R, Tran U, Chen H, Kassim A, Engelhardt BG, Greer JP, et al. Prevalence and risk factors associated with development of ocular GVHD defined by NIH consensus criteria. Bone Marrow Transplant 2012;47:1470–1473.
13. Khan R, Nair S, Seth T, Mishra P, Mahapatra M, Agarwal T, et al. Ocular graft versus host disease in allogenic haematopoetic stem cell transplantation in a tertiary care centre in India. Indian J Med Res 2015;142:543–548.
14. Westeneng AC, Hettinga Y, Lokhorst H, Verdonck L, van Dorp S, Rothova A. Ocular graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Cornea 2010;29:758–763.
15. Jagasia MH, Greinix HT, Arora M, Williams KM, Wolff D, Cowen EW, et al. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: I. The 2014 Diagnosis and Staging Working Group report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2015;21:389–401.e1.
16. Lemp MA. Report of the National Eye Institute/Industry workshop on Clinical Trials in Dry Eyes. CLAO J 1995;21:221–232.
17. Shimazaki J. Definition and diagnostic criteria of dry eye [in Japanese]. Ganka 1995;37:756–770.
18. Shimazaki J. Definition and diagnostic criteria of dry eye disease: Historical overview and future directions. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2018;59:DES7–12.
19. Shikari H, Amparo F, Saboo U, Dana R. Onset of ocular graft-versus-host disease symptoms after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Cornea 2015;34:243–247.
20. Tichelli A, Duell T, Weiss M, Socié G, Ljungman P, Cohen A, et al.; European Group or Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Working Party on Late Effects. Late-onset keratoconjunctivitis sicca syndrome after bone marrow transplantation: Incidence and risk factors. Bone Marrow Transplant 1996;17:1105–1111.
21. Pellegrini M, Bernabei F, Barbato F, Arpinati M, Giannaccare G, Versura P, et al. Incidence, risk factors and complications of ocular graft-versus-host disease following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Am J Ophthalmol 2021;227:25–34.
22. Wang JC, Teichman JC, Mustafa M, O’Donnell H, Broady R, Yeung SN. Risk factors for the development of ocular graftversus- host disease (GVHD) dry eye syndrome in patients with chronic GVHD. Br J Ophthalmol 2015;99:1514–1518.
23. Filipovich AH, Weisdorf D, Pavletic S, Socie G, Wingard JR, Lee SJ, et al. National Institutes of Health consensus development project on criteria for clinical trials in chronic graft-versus-host disease: I. Diagnosis and staging working group report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2005;11:945–956.
24. Kitko CL, Pidala J, Schoemans HM, Lawitschka A, Flowers ME, Cowen EW, et al. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IIa. The 2020 Clinical Implementation and Early Diagnosis Working Group Report. Transplant Cell Ther 2021;27:545–557.
25. Mmeje O, Wallett S, Kolenic G, Bell J. Impact of expedited partner therapy (EPT) implementation on chlamydia incidence in the USA. Sex Transm Infect 2018;94: 545–547.
26. Curtis LM, Datiles MB 3rd, Steinberg SM, Mitchell SA, Bishop RJ, Cowen EW, et al. Predictive models for ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease diagnosis and disease activity in transplant clinical practice. Haematologica 2015;100:1228–1236.
27. Schargus M, Meyer-ter-Vehn T, Menrath J, Grigoleit GU, Geerling G. Correlation between tear film osmolarity and the disease score of the international chronic ocular graftversus- host-disease consensus group in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients. Cornea 2015;34:911– 916.
28. Dietrich-Ntoukas T. [Clinical signs of ocular graft-versushost disease]. Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 2015;232:647–651.
29. Westekemper H, Scholz SL, Thomasen H, Halfwassen C, Steuhl KP. [Ocular graft versus host disease: Corneal complications]. Ophthalmologe 2017;114:697–702.
30. Giannaccare G, Pellegrini M, Bernabei F, Scorcia V, Campos E. Ocular surface system alterations in ocular graft-versus-host disease: All the pieces of the complex puzzle. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2019;257:1341– 1351.
31. Ikarashi H, Aketa N, Shimizu E, Takano Y, Kawakita T, Uchino Y, et al. Two case reports of continued progression of chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease without concurrent systemic comorbidities treated by amniotic membrane transplantation. BMC Ophthalmol 2021;21:164.
32. Ogawa Y, Okamoto S, Wakui M, Watanabe R, Yamada M, Yoshino M, et al. Dry eye after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Br J Ophthalmol 1999;83:1125–1130.
33. Akiyama M, Dale BA, Sun TT, Holbrook KA. Characterization of hair follicle bulge in human fetal skin: The human fetal bulge is a pool of undifferentiated keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol 1995;105:844–850.
34. Jester JV, Nicolaides N, Kiss-Palvolgyi I, Smith RE. Meibomian gland dysfunction. II. The role of keratinization in a rabbit model of MGD. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1989;30:936–945.
35. Sale GE, Beauchamp MD, Akiyama M. Parafollicular bulges, but not hair bulb keratinocytes, are attacked in graft-versus-host disease of human skin. Bone Marrow Transplant 1994;14:411–413.
36. Hessen M, Akpek EK. Ocular graft-versus-host disease. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;12:540–547.
37. Tabbara KF, Al-Ghamdi A, Al-Mohareb F, Ayas M, Chaudhri N, Al-Sharif F, et al. Ocular findings after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Ophthalmology 2009;116:1624–1629.
38. Amparo F, Shikari H, Saboo U, Dana R. Corneal fluorescein staining and ocular symptoms but not Schirmer test are useful as indicators of response to treatment in chronic ocular GVHD. Ocul Surf 2018;16:377–381.
39. Schiffman RM, Christianson MD, Jacobsen G, Hirsch JD, Reis BL. Reliability and validity of the Ocular Surface Disease Index. Arch Ophthalmol 2000;118:615–621.
40. Franklin RM, Kenyon KR, Tutschka PJ, Saral R, Green WR, Santos GW. Ocular manifestations of graft-vs-host disease. Ophthalmology 1983;90:4–13.
41. Hirst LW, Jabs DA, Tutschka PJ, Green WR, Santos GW. The eye in bone marrow transplantation. I. Clinical study. Arch Ophthalmol 1983;101:580–584.
42. Inamoto Y, Chai X, Kurland BF, Cutler C, Flowers ME, Palmer JM, et al.; Chronic GVHD Consortium. Validation of measurement scales in ocular graft-versus-host disease. Ophthalmology 2012;119:487–493.
43. Sáles CS, Johnston LJ, Ta CN. Long-term clinical course of dry eye in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease referred for eye examination. Cornea 2011;30:143–149.