Background: Autoimmune inflammatory conditions of the eye may be associated with rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and granulomatosis with polyangiitis. This is also observed with thyroid eye disease (TED). Loss of immune tolerance to the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor has thyroidal consequences and nearly 40% of patients with Graves’ disease also have clinically evident Graves’ orbitopathy or TED. ¹ TED results from tissue inflammation that causes retro orbital fat expansion ² and extraocular muscle enlargement ² and stiffening. ³ Because the orbital cavity is bony and of limited volume, proptosis and, in severe cases, optic nerve compression, can result. In many patients, muscle changes also cause ocular motility issues and double-vision. Because TED can have a similar presentation to other inflammatory orbital diseases (e.g., granulomatosis with polyangiitis) and Graves’ disease patients frequently have other autoimmune conditions (10% of Graves’s patients also have rheumatoid arthritis), ⁴ rheumatologists are likely to care for, or even diagnose, patients with TED.

Objectives: This analysis sought to understand rheumatologists’ knowledge, and degree of participation in the treatment, of TED including referral patterns from ophthalmologists and endocrinologists for infusion therapies.

Methods: Rheumatologists practicing in the United States attended an educational session and agreed to complete a 12-item survey regarding TED awareness, referral patterns, and management.

Results: Of the 47 rheumatologists surveyed, 45 (96%) were familiar with TED. Ten (21%) physicians reported managing patients with TED, but the majority of physicians (62%) reported that they co-managed other autoimmune diseases in patients who also had TED. Additionally, 98% and 64% of polled rheumatologists had received referrals from ophthalmologists and endocrinologists, respectively, for autoimmune disease management or infusion therapy. Ophthalmology referrals for intravenous (IV) medication administration were most frequently for biologics (82%), but some referrals were also made for corticosteroids (2%) or other medication (13%) infusions. Only 23% of rheumatologists had administered a biologic specifically for TED (rituximab: 17%, tocilizumab: 2%, other: 4%), but 89% expressed an interest in administering a TED-specific monoclonal antibody therapy, awaiting FDA approval.

Conclusion: Nearly all surveyed rheumatologists were aware of the signs and symptoms of TED, although most did not actively manage or administer medication for TED. Given the high level of interest in infusing novel, TED-specific biologics, rheumatologists may become an integral part of TED patient management with the approval of a new biologic, teprotumumab, for thyroid eye disease.

REFERENCES:

[1]Bartley GB, et al. Am J Ophthalmol 1996;121:284-90.

[2]Forbes G, et al. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1986;7:651-656.

[3]Simonsz HJ, et al. Strabismus 1994;2:197-218.

[4]Cardenas Roldan J, et al. Arthritis 2012 2012;864907.

Disclosure of Interests: Brian LaMoreaux Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Megan Francis-Sedlak Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Robert Holt Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, James Rosenbaum Consultant of: AbbVie, Corvus, Eyevensys, Gilead, Novartis, Janssen, Roche, UCB Pharma; royalties from UpToDate