Seasonal Patterns of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease.

PURPOSE: To identify the relationship between the incidence of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease and seasonality. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed, including patients with a confirmed diagnosis of VKH whose month of disease onset was available. Information on patients was entered retrospectively into a database and analyzed according to the month and season. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. There was a statistically significant deviation from expected values in the incidences of VKH per season (P = .043). The most common season for the onset of VKH was fall, with 50% of the patients presenting in this season, while spring was the least common season for VKH presentation, with 12.5% of the patients presenting in this season. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the onset of VKH in Puerto Rico follows a seasonal pattern, with most cases occurring during the fall.

Characteristics, Upon Presentation, of a Cohort of Patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease in Puerto Rico.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features, upon initial presentation, of a cohort of patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease who live in Puerto Rico. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review of patients with VKH was performed. The demographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients who met the diagnostic criteria for VKH were identified and included in the analysis. The median age at presentation was 41 years; 68.2% were female, and all patients were Hispanics. Bilateral disease was present in 90.9% of patients, and 59.1% of patients were categorized as having probable VKH. A headache was reported in 54.5% of patients and was the most common complaint at the time of presentation; the second most common complaint was tinnitus, which was present in 22.7% of patients. Vitiligo, alopecia, and meningismus were each preset in 9.1% of patients while hearing loss and aseptic meningitis were each reported in 4.5% of patients. Seventy-seven percent of patients had either topical or systemic corticosteroid use prior to the initial encounter. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that in Puerto Rico, patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease may have a distinctive prevalence of characteristics at the presentation when compared to other ethnic groups, including other Hispanic cohorts.