Incidence study of Birdshot Retinochoroidopathy in the UK v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Incidence study of Birdshot Retinochoroidopathy in the UK
IRAS ID
199067
Contact name
Mark Westcott
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
We propose to conduct an incidence study of Birdshot chorioretinopathy (BRC), an autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting the posterior segment of the eye. The disease causes slowly progressive visual dysfunction which is often severe and the early symptoms can be non-specific and painless thus delaying presentation and diagnosis. The treatment often involves systemic immunosuppression, which carries a risk of significant side effects ranging from fatigue and headaches to serious conditions such as overwhelming infection. The disease therefore carries high morbidity including a marked psychological impact. \nBCR is a relatively newly recognised clinical entity. No incidence studies have been performed to date so this will be the first and will be important in establishing a baseline rate for comparison with future studies.\nThis study will enable us to fully categorise truly “incident” new cases by recording the clinical features found at diagnosis, the presence of suspected risk factors for the disease including demographic and geographical data and the results of laboratory and other investigations . Nation-wide coverage will allow us to study the regional variation of incidence and other factors associated with the disease in the UK.\nThe study will utilize the “Yellow Card” system used by BOSU (the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit). This is an established reporting system that invites all UK ophthalmologists to report via a yellow card the diagnosis of a condition that has been specified. We will write to clinicians using this system asking them to report new cases of BCR that meet diagnostic criteria. A questionnaire will then be sent to the reporting clinician to collect demographic, clinical and investigative data.\n\n
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0503
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion