Childhood retinal dystrophies are highly heterogeneous

A paper in the British Journal of Ophthalmology states that childhood retinal dystrophies are highly heterogeneous.

The prospective, population-based, cross-sectional study, compiled by Professor Jugnoo S. Rahi et al., MRC Centre of Epidemiology for Child Health, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK, included 241 patients with 24 different diagnoses.

All patients were aged

There was a higher rate of hereditary retinal disorders seen in males, compared to females and in Asian children compared to white children. Additional systemic disorders were found in 14% of children and 13% had dual sensory impairment.

Annual incidence of retinal disorders was 1.4/100,000 children aged between 0 and 15 years, and 22.3/100,000 children by the age of 16 years.

The study provides useful information on disease incidence, distributions and management. The results are significant to the development of future treatments and novel therapies.