Long-Term Outcomes of Birdshot Chorioretinopathy Treated with Corticosteroids: A Case Reports

J Clin Med. 2023 Aug 14;12(16):5288. doi: 10.3390/jcm12165288.

Abstract

Purpose: To report the progression of patients diagnosed with birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR) initially treated with corticosteroids.

Methods: We included 39 BSCR patients that were followed for ≥1 year. We analyzed their progression under treatment after 1, 3, 6 months, 1 year, and at the end of follow-up. In order to determine the efficiency of initial loading doses, patients were classified into two groups according to their initial treatment: methylprednisolone followed by prednisone (n = 28) and prednisone alone (n = 11).

Results: At the end of follow-up, 31/39 (79.5%) patients had reached inflammation control. Thirteen out of 28 (46.4%) and 6/11 (54.5%) patients were treated exclusively with corticosteroids, and 18/19 (94.7%) of them had reached inflammation control at the end of follow-up; their mean (range) corticosteroid dose was 3.5 (0-10) mg/day.

Conclusions: We found that the prolonged corticosteroid therapy treatment strategy resulted in inflammation control in half of BSCR patients. This control was maintained with low doses of cortisone, usually <5 mg/day.

Keywords: birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR); corticosteroids; inflammatory macular edema; prognosis; relapse; uveitis.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.