Thyroid eye disease in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia: clinical profile and correlation with vitamin D deficiency.

PURPOSE: To obtain clinical data about disease activity and severity of thyroid eye disease (TED) in a tertiary eye hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and to correlate this data with vitamin D levels.

METHODS

A clinical observational study was conducted in a specialized eye hospital in Saudi Arabia. It included prospective enrollment of Saudi patients with confirmed TED to evaluate activity and severity according to Clinical Activity Score (CAS) and European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy (EUGOGO), respectively, and also for blood investigation, including thyroid profile and vitamin D levels. In addition, some retrospective data collection included previous medical and surgical treatment and complications.

RESULTS

A total of 74 TED patients were included, with a median age of 42 years and a female predominance of 64.9%. Smokers were 18.9%. A family history of thyroid disease was noted in 12.16% of patients. There were 10.8% of patients with active TED. A moderate to severe severity level was observed in 71% of the cases, mild in 15%, and sight-threatening in 6%. Smoking and older age were associated with the active form of TED. There was a 48.4% prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among TED patients and it was not associated with TED severity or activity.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study demonstrating the clinical profile of TED among Saudi patients. Smoking and older age were associated with TED. Vitamin D deficiency among TED patients was not worse than that of the general Saudi population.