Prevalence and Incidence of Optic Neuritis in Patients with Different Types of Uveitis

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This database study aims to investigate the incidence and prevalence of optic neuritis (ON) among patients with different types of uveitis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the Truven Health MarketScan® database from 2000 to 2014 was conducted. Patients with uveitis were followed until diagnosis of ON or until they were censored. Diagnosis of uveitis and demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (DD) including ON were based on ICD-9 codes. Patients with a diagnosis of DD at or before the index date of diagnosis of uveitis were excluded from incidence calculation. In the prevalence analysis, any diagnoses of DD during continuous enrollment were counted.

Results: Among the 103,867 uveitis patients, 974 had ever been diagnosed with ON and 2121 with DD including ON during the continuous enrollment. Prevalence rates of ON in patients with intermediate, posterior and pan uveitis are approximately 2.0–2.5% while a lower prevalence (0.6%) of ON was observed in anterior uveitis. During a median follow-up period of 2.2 years, 463 new cases of ON were diagnosed. The incidence rates of ON per 100 person-years (95% CI) were 0.12 (0.11–0.13), 0.28 (0.18–0.41), 0.29 (0.23–0.35) and 0.38 (0.24–0.56), respectively, for anterior, intermediate, posterior and pan uveitis.

Conclusion: Incidence and prevalence of ON among patients with intermediate, posterior and pan uveitis were comparable and higher than the rates in patients with anterior uveitis.

KEYWORDS:

• Prevalence
• incidence
• optic neuritis
• demyelinating disease
• uveitis

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Barbara Hendrickson and Dr Dilek Arikan for their support in initiation and design of the study. All the authors and the individuals acknowledged here are current or former employees of Abbvie Inc, and may own Abbvie stocks.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of this article.

Funding

At the time the study was conducted, all the authors were salaried employees of Abbvie Inc.

Additional information

Funding

At the time the study was conducted, all the authors were salaried employees of Abbvie Inc.