Keratoconus patients are more likely to have psychiatric disorders, study shows

SAN DEIGO — Patients with keratoconus are significantly more likely to have mental disorders than patients without the condition, according to a surgeon speaking here.

At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, Armando Signorelli, MD, presented the results of a study investigating behavioral disturbances in keratoconic patients.

"Over the course of the years of clinical and surgical follow-up of patients with keratoconus, we have observed that patients demonstrated peculiar behavior ranging from emotional instability to diagnostic schizophrenia," Dr. Signorelli said. "We reviewed the literature and found isolated reports, some describing a keratoconus personality in patients, though without a more detailed statistical study."

Dr. Signorelli and colleagues administered the adult psychiatric morbidity questionnaire, a widely used mental health survey, to 100 keratoconic patients and 100 non-keratoconic controls. They found significantly more keratoconic patients had mental disorders: 35% vs. 22% of controls (P < .042), he said. Significantly more keratoconic patients also had experienced aggression (46%), sadness (49%) and suicidal thoughts (19%), he added.

Additionally, the researchers found a significantly higher incidence of mental disorders among women with keratoconus, 48% compared with 25% of women in the control group (P = .037), Dr. Signorelli said.

"The construction of a more specific questionnaire would most likely identify the behaviors directly relative to keratoconus," he said. Such research could lead to a "holistic view" of keratoconus patients, including multidisciplinary treatment and stronger, more consistent physician-family support, he noted.