Comparison of pediatric patients with noninfectious idiopathic uveitis and noninfectious uveitis associated with an underlying systemic disease: from a referral center in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the demographic, clinical, treatment, and outcome features of pediatric noninfectious uveitis patients at a Turkish tertiary center.

Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study included 101 pediatric patients with noninfectious uveitis. Location of uveitis, laterality, age at onset of uveitis, complications of uveitis, duration of follow-up, associated systemic diseases, laboratory findings, medications used, and status of uveitis at the time of data collection were obtained from the patients’ files. The patients were divided into two groups according to etiology of uveitis, as follows; group 1: idiopathic noninfectious uveitis; group 2: noninfectious uveitis in association with an underlying systemic disease. Clinical findings were compared between the two groups.

Results: Mean age at diagnosis of uveitis was 9.36 ± 4.24 years and mean duration of follow-up was 48.4 ± 9.2 months. Anterior uveitis was the most common form, accounting for 69.3% (n = 70) of the patients. There were 67 (66.3%) patients in group 1 and 34 (33.7%) patients in group 2. Mean age at diagnosis of uveitis was lower in group 2 (p < 0.05). Although gender, type of inflammation, laterality of eye involvement, and mean age at initiation of biological treatment did not differ between the groups; symptomatic uveitis was more common in group 1, whereas anterior uveitis was also more common in group 2 (p < 0.05). At the time of data collection 16 (15.8%) of the patients had active uveitis. Ocular complications were observed fewer in idiopathic noninfectious uveitis group than noninfectious uveitis associated with an underlying systemic disease (p < 0.05). Biological therapy was administered in 26.8% of the patients in group 1, versus 67.6% of those in group 2. Ocular complications were observed in 22.8% of the patients at presentation or during the follow-up.

Conclusion: Herein a large retrospective cohort of noninfectious pediatric uveitis has been described. The findings indicate that noninfectious idiopathic uveitis is characterized by more symptomatic, later onset, and fewer complications than noninfectious uveitis associated with an underlying systemic disease.

KEYWORDS:

• Uveitis
• idiopathic
• noninfectious

Declaration of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest-financial or otherwise-related to the material presented herein.

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

SO, EB, and TO contributed to the study design, case recruitment, acquisition and interpretation of data, statistical analysis, writing the manuscript and multiple revisions, final approval of the manuscript. FY, EKC, and MB contributed to data acquisition, manuscript revision, and final approval of the manuscript. MB, and PO contributed to interpretation of data, statistical analysis, multiple revisions of the manuscript, and final approval of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data sharing

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, SO, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study received no funding.