Claessens JLJ, Godefrooij DA, Vink G, et al. - Researchers intended to determine if there is an association between keratoconus (KC) and immune-mediated diseases on a population level. The largest health insurance provider in the Netherlands provided the data. The data set included all medical claims and sociodemographic characteristics from all KC patients, as well as data from a 1:6 age- and gender-matched control group. Novel associations were found between KC and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and inflammatory skin conditions after analyzing 2,051 KC cases and 12,306 matched controls. The authors confirmed previously established links between KC and atopic diseases such as allergic rash, asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and allergic rhinitis. KC seems positively linked to multiple immune-mediated diseases, which provides a population-based argument that systemic inflammatory responses may influence its onset. The discovery of these specific diseases may shed light on potentially comparable pathways by which this proinflammatory state is achieved, paving the way for pharmacological treatment strategies.