Prevalence of Retinitis Pigmentosa in Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a slow degenerative disease of the retina which affects the photoreceptor layer, predominantly rods.

Aim: A retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of RP in Kano State. Method: One thousand, five hundred folders were  reviewed from 2010-2020 in the Retina and Low Vision Clinics of Makkah Eye Hospital (MSEH) and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano (AKTH).  Clinical presentation, features, history of consanguinity, and degree of visual impairment were studied. Data were analyzed using SPSS's latest  version 25.0.

Results: Sixty patients were diagnosed with RP, representing a prevalence of 4%. The ratio of male to female is 1:1. The age range was 3 to 70 years  (mean 31.17 years +/- 17.69 years). Twenty-nine patients had visual acuity of less than 3/60, indicating that half of the patients are blind. The  commonest mode of presentation was night blindness in 58.3% of the patients. Bone spicule pigmentation is the most common sign in this study  (61.7%), while those with macula edema (18.3%) and normal fundus present with the lowest frequency of 11.7%. The rate of RP correlated with  consanguineous history in this study shows a positive correlation(r=0.022).

Conclusion: The degree of visual loss in Kano state citizens with RP is severe and may be related to inadequate knowledge regarding the condition  and late presentation of the patient to the hospital. There is a need for health education of the public and patients about the need for early  presentation to the hospital.