Graft rejection more likely in eyes with corneal edema

Graft rejection more likely in eyes with corneal edema

There was a lower graft rejection rate in eyes with Fuchs’ dystrophy than in eyes with pseudophakic oraphakic corneal edema, a study found.

In addition, female recipients experienced a higher rejection rate than male recipients, while donor age did not play a role in rejection.

 The analysis used data from the prospective Cornea Donor Study to determine the effect of donor and recipient factors on corneal allograft rejection. The study examined 1,090 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty, mostly for Fuchs’ dystrophy or pseudophakic corneal edema. Patients were followed postoperatively for up to 5 years.

The 369 eyes with corneal edema were more likely to experience a rejection event than the 676 eyes with Fuchs’ dystrophy  Female patients had a higher likelihood of rejection compared with male patients. The age of the donors, which ranged from 10 years to 75 years, did not correlate with rejection.

The researchers suggested the need for further studies to better understand whether graft rejection is affected by anti-inflammatory postoperative treatment.

Healio