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Long-term use of corticosteroids may be linked to infectious keratitis after PK
Infectious keratitis in eyes that have undergone penetrating keratoplasty may be related to extended use of corticosteroids, according to a study.
The retrospective cohort study included 51 patients with infectious keratitis; 26 patients presented with pre-existing graft failure and 25 presented with clear grafts.
Mean patient age was 75 years in the failed graft group and 61.8 years in the clear graft group. The difference was statistically significant (P = .004).
Results showed that the mean interval between PK and onset of infection was 71.96 months in the failed graft group and 113.94 months in the clear graft group; the difference was significant (P = .049).
Cultures were positive for bacterial organisms in 23 patients in the failed graft group (88%) and 19 patients in the clear graft group (76%). Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the most commonly found organism. Moraxella was identified in 30.4% of patients in the failed graft group and 8% of the clear graft group.
Data showed that 100% of patients in the failed graft group and 76% of patients in the clear graft group were using long-term corticosteroids; the difference was statistically significant (P = .005), the authors said.