Coats Disease in Nigeria: A Case Series

Aims: To report a series of four cases of Coats disease in black Nigerians, a rare disorder.

Study Design: A case series.

Place and Duration of Study: Retina unit of the departments of ophthalmology at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria. Duration of study was 2014-2018.

Methodology: Case folders of patients who presented to the retina units of the University College Hospital Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and a peripheral eye hospital between 2014 and 2018, were reviewed. Data collected includes age, sex, presenting visual acuity, findings on fundus examination and reports of ancillary tests.

Results: Four eyes of 4 patients were reviewed. There were 2 males and 2 females. 3 of the four cases were found in children while one case presented in adulthood. All eyes presented with profound visual loss with uniocular presentation and exudative retinal detachments at the late stages, with poor visual prognosis.

Conclusion: Coat’s disease though an uncommon ocular disorder in Nigeria, does exist and may have been underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Routine examination of children is pertinent in early diagnosis and prompt treatment to save vision and a good knowledge of its clinical presentation may lead to more case findings.