Scleromalacia perforans as the presenting sign for rheumatoid arthritis — a case report
Abstract
Scleromalacia perforans is a rare but well-recognised extra-articular complication of rheumatoid arthritis. It is diagnosed
usually late in the course of the disease. In this paper we present a case of scleromalacia perforans in which the patient was not diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis previously; the elderly female presented with bilateral foreign body sensation and was found to have scleromalacia perforans, which was treated medically with a bolus dose of steroids followed by combined oral steroids and methotrexate, from which she developed the devastating side effect of thrombocytopaenia. The patient was planned for surgical therapy for the scleromalacia, but unfortunately she passed away during the follow-up.
Keywords: scleromalacia perforansrheumatoid arthritissteroidshyaline plaquescleral patch
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