Documento de recomendaciones sobre el tratamiento con inmunodepresores de la uveítis no anterior, no infecciosa, no neoplásica / Recommendations statement on the immunosuppressive treatment of non-infectious, non-neoplastic, non-anterior uveítis

OBJETIVO: Desarrollar recomendaciones basadas en la mejor evidencia disponible y experiencia sobre el uso de inmunomoduladores en pacientes con uveítis, las uveítis intermedias (UI), posteriores (UP) y panuveítis (PanU) no infecciosas, no neoplásicas. MÉTODOS: Se seleccionó un grupo multidisciplinar de 5 expertos, que definió el alcance, usuarios y apartados del documento. Posteriormente, se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre la eficacia y seguridad de los inmunomoduladores en pacientes con UI, UP y PanU no infecciosa, no neoplásica. Se generaron 34 recomendaciones en base a la evidencia encontrada en la revisión sistemática y a la experiencia de los expertos. Mediante la metodología Delphi, el grado de acuerdo con las recomendaciones se extendió a 25 expertos más que votaron según una escala de 1 (total desacuerdo) a 10 (total acuerdo). El acuerdo se definió como una puntuación ≥ 7 en al menos el 70% de los participantes. El nivel de evidencia y grado de recomendación se clasificaron según el modelo del Center for Evidence Based Medicine de Oxford. RESULTADOS: Se aceptaron las 34 recomendaciones generadas tras 2 rondas Delphi (se modificaron 3 recomendaciones). Se incluyen recomendaciones específicas para pacientes con UI, UP y PanU no infecciosa, no neoplásica, así como para distintas líneas de tratamiento. CONCLUSIONES: En los pacientes con UI, UP y PanU no infecciosas, no neoplásicas, estas recomendaciones pueden ayudar en la toma de decisiones terapéuticas, dada la ausencia de estudios con potencia estadística suficiente, u otros algoritmos universalmente aceptados sobre los que apoyar dichas decisiones

OBJECTIVE: To generate recommendations on the use of immunomodulators in patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic intermediate uveitis (IU), posterior uveitis (PU) and panuveitis (PanU) based on best evidence and experience. METHODS: A multidisciplinary panel of 5 experts was established, who defined the scope, users, and sections of the document. A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of immunomodulatory drugs in patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic, non-anterior uveitis. The results of the SLR were presented and discussed during an expert meeting in which 34 recommendations were generated. The level of agreement with the recommendations was also tested in 25 additional experts following a Delphi process. Recommendations were voted from 1 (total disagreement) to 10 (total agreement). We defined agreement if at least 70% of the experts voted ≥ 7. The level of evidence and grade or recommendation were assessed using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine Levels of Evidence. RESULTS: The SLR included 33 articles. The 34 recommendations were accepted after 2 Delphi rounds (3 of them were modified after the first round). They include specific recommendations on patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic, PU and PanU, as well as different treatment guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with non-infectious, non-neoplastic, non-anterior uveitis these recommendations might help treatment decision making, due to the lack of robust evidence or other globally accepted algorithms

Exudative Retinal Detachment in Ocular Inflammatory Diseases: Risk and Predictive Factors.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the risk and risk factors for exudative retinal detachment (ERD) in ocular inflammatory diseases. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Patients with noninfectious ocular inflammation had been followed longitudinally between 1978 and 2007 at 4 US subspecialty uveitis centers. The main outcome measurements were occurrences of ERD and predictive factors. RESULTS: A total of 176 of 14,612 eyes with ocular inflammation presented with ERD. Among uveitis cases, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (VKH) (odds ratio [OR] = 109), undifferentiated choroiditis (OR = 9.18), sympathetic ophthalmia (OR = 8.43), primary or secondary panuveitis (OR = 7.09), multifocal choroiditis with panuveitis (OR = 4.51), and "other" forms of posterior uveitis (OR = 16.9) were associated with a higher prevalence of ERD. Among the 9,209 uveitic or scleritic eyes initially free of ERD and followed, 137 incident ERD cases were observed over 28,949 eye-years at risk (incidence rate = 0.47% [0.40%-0.56%/eye-year]). VKH (HR = 13.2), sympathetic ophthalmia (HR = 5.82), undifferentiated choroiditis (HR = 6.03), primary or secondary panuveitis (HR = 4.21), and rheumatoid arthritis (HR = 3.30) were significantly associated with incident ERD. A significant dose-response relationship with the prevalence and incidence of ERD were observed for AC cells and vitreous cell activity. African Americans had significantly higher prevalence and incidence of ERD. CONCLUSIONS: Other ocular inflammatory conditions in addition to VKH syndrome and posterior scleritis were associated with increased risk of ERD, indicating that ERD does not necessarily dictate a diagnosis of VKH or posterior scleritis. In addition, the relationship between ERD and inflammatory severity factors implies that inflammation is a key predictive factor associated with developing ERD and requires early and vigorous control.

Evolving Longitudinal Retinal Observations in a Cohort of Survivors of Ebola Virus Disease.

Importance: The 2-year ophthalmic sequelae of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in survivors of the 2013 to 2016 epidemic is unknown and may have public health implications for future outbreaks. Objective: To assess the potential for uveitis recurrence, the behavior of dark without pressure, and visual outcomes in a cohort of Sierra Leonean survivors of EVD 2 years following the 2013 to 2016 Ebola epidemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospective, 1-year observational cohort study performed between 2016 and 2017 at 34 Military Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Participants included survivors of EVD who reported ocular symptoms since Ebola treatment unit discharge and were participants of a previous case-control study. Participants were invited for ophthalmic reexamination and finger-prick blood sampling for immunoglobulin G (IgG) to Toxoplasma gondii and HIV. Exposures: Ebola virus disease. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome measure: comparative ultra-widefield retinal imaging. Secondary outcome measures: visual acuity and detection of IgG to T gondii and HIV. Results: Of 57 survivors of EVD who underwent repeated ophthalmic evaluation, 37 were women (64.9%). Mean (SD) age was 31.9 (11.1) years. Median interval between first and last examination was 370 days (interquartile range [IQR], 365-397.5 days), and median time from discharge to last examination was 779 days (IQR, 732-821 days). Fifteen eyes of 10 survivors (17.5%) had retinal lesions secondary to EVD. No new EVD-associated retinal lesions were observed. Two survivors (3.5%) developed new posterior uveitis resembling toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis and 41 (73%) were seropositive for T gondii IgG. Areas of dark without pressure were observed either confined to the perimeter of Ebola retinal lesions (n = 7) and non-Ebola lesions (n = 2), involving extensive retinal areas adjacent to Ebola retinal lesions (n = 4) and non-Ebola lesions (n = 2) or in isolation (n = 6). Both expansion and regression of areas of dark without pressure were observed over the study period. Best eye-presenting visual acuity had mild or no visual impairment in 55 survivors (96.4%) 2 years following discharge. Conclusions and Relevance: Vision was maintained in survivors of EVD 2 years following discharge. Evolving regions of dark without pressure may be associated with EVD retinal lesions and might suggest the presence of an ongoing intraretinal stimulus, which may be associated with infective etiology. Treatment strategies should account for the possibility of toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis recurrence within survivors of EVD.

[Treatment of noninfectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis]. / Traitement des uvéites intermédiaires, postérieures et panuvéites non infectieuses.

Controlling long-term inflammation during non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis while limiting side effects remains challenging. There is no standardized pre-therapeutic evaluation providing diagnostic certainty, but some simple tests allow us to identifiy the main etiologies. The ophthalmologist identifies the type of uveitis, and the internist completes the investigations according to the ophthalmologist's findings. Fundus photographs, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography should be considered during diagnosis and follow-up. Ocular complications of uveitis are numerous. They require close monitoring and specific medical and sometimes surgical management. The growing number of available drugs makes it possible to optimize the management of these conditions with varied etiologies and presentations. Currently, systemic corticosteroids remain the mainstay of therapy, and other alternatives are considered in the case of poor tolerance, steroid resistance or dependence. The choice of a systemic, periocular or intravitreal treatment depends on several factors: chronicity or recurrence of uveitis, duration, bilaterality, association with a systemic inflammatory disease, the presence of contraindications to certain treatments, and also socioeconomic constraints. It is of the utmost importance to find the best compromise allowing tight control of ocular inflammation by means of adapted systemic and/or local treatment while avoiding the main complications.

Ubiquitin Associated and SH3 Domain Containing B (UBASH3B) Gene Association with Behcet's Disease in Iranian Population.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the possible association of UBASH3B gene rs4936742 (T > C) polymorphism with Behcet's disease (BD) and posterior uveitis in BD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-one patients with BD (51 Behcet's posterior uveitis and 80 non-ocular Behcet's patients) and 61 unrelated age-matched healthy individuals as a control group without any inflammatory disease were selected. All BD cases were under follow-up and treatment in uveitis or rheumatology clinics for at least 5 years. All research subjects, including control individuals, received a comprehensive rheumatologic evaluation. All patients and controls were genotyped for UBASH3B rs4936742 (T > C) polymorphism by PCR-RFLP technique. RESULTS: The observed frequencies of genotypes were significantly different among patients and controls (19.7% versus 30.5% for TT, OR = 2.9, P = 0.011 and 36.1% versus 45.8% for CT, OR = 2.38, P = 0.017). Frequencies of T allele showed significantly higher values in Behcet's patients (OR = 1.9, P = 0.004). Subgroup genotypic and allelic analyses disclosed no significant difference between Behcet's posterior uveitis and control groups, neither between Behcet's posterior uveitis and non-ocular BD groups. However, genotypic and allelic analyses between non-ocular BD and control groups revealed statistically significant difference (36.3% versus 19.7% for TT, OR = 4.08, P = 0.003 and 43.8% versus 36.1% for CT, OR = 2.68, P = 0.018, 58.1% versus 37.7% for T allele, OR = 2.29, P = 0.001). Individuals carrying the TT genotype for UBASH3B were four times more likely to develop non-ocular BD than unaffected, control individuals. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the UBASH3B gene rs4936742 (T > C) polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of Behcet's disease, especially non-ocular BD, in Iranian population. We could not find any susceptibility role of this genetic locus for posterior uveitis in Behcet's disease.

Oral corticosteroid exposure and increased risk of related complications in patients with noninfectious intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis: Real-world data analysis.

PURPOSE: This study causally examined the dose-response relationship between oral corticosteroids (OCS) exposure and long-term complications among noninfectious uveitis adult patients in the United States. METHODS: The study design was longitudinal, retrospective cohort using Truven Health MarketScan claims database years 2000-2015. The index date was the first day after diagnosis on which OCS≥ 5 mg prednisone equivalent was administered. The period following the index date was parsed into quarters for tracking OCS-related complications; follow-up time was censored when patients switched off of OCS monotherapy. Each quarter of follow-up was divided into 4 groups based on the mean cumulative daily OCS dose (< 7.5 mg; 7.5 to < 30 mg; 30 to < 60 mg; and ≥ 60 mg) and covariate balancing propensity scoring was used to balance groups on baseline characteristics in the first quarter post-index. Marginal structural models (MSMs) were employed to account for time-varying endogeneity between temporal changes in mean cumulative OCS dose and the risk of complications. Patients with systemic autoimmune conditions at baseline were excluded. RESULTS: The study sample included 3966 patients with a median follow-up of 2 years. Compared to those receiving < 7.5 mg, patients with higher mean cumulative OCS dose had 10%, 16%, and 28% higher risk, respectively, of any OCS-related complication in any given quarter. CONCLUSIONS: A moderate dose-response relationship was found between the long-term use of OCS monotherapy and the risk of developing complications in noninfectious intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis patients. Future research should examine optimal approaches to achieve inflammation control while minimizing OCS exposure.

Epidemiological profile of non-infectious uveitis from the rheumatologist's perspective: a survey from two tertiary referral centres in Italy.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of non-infectious uveitis (NIU) in two tertiary referral rheumatology units in Central and Southern Italy. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-eight consecutive NIU patients (417 eyes) evaluated between January 2016 and January 2017 were enrolled. Collected data were analysed in accordance with the primary anatomic site of inflammation, clinical course, and laterality. RESULTS: The mean age at NIU onset was 36.92±18.30 years with a female-to-male ratio of 1.34:1. Anterior uveitis (AU) was identified in 151 (54.32%), posterior uveitis (PU) in 67 (24.10%), intermediate uveitis (IU) in 5.40% and panuveitis (PanU) in 16.19% patients. Bilateral involvement was identified in 50% of our cohort. Uveitis was acute in 33.81% of patients, while 24.46% and 41.73% had a chronic and recurrent course, respectively. Gender and laterality did not influence the anatomical pattern, while disease course was significantly more acute or chronic in AU (p<0.05) and chronic in IU (p<0.05). An associated systemic disease was identified in 116 patients (41.73%). Twenty-seven patients (9.7%) had a specific isolated eye disease, 135 patients (48.56%) had idiopathic NIU. Uveitis associated with a systemic disease was significantly bilateral (p=0.01) and acute or chronic (p<0.0001), while the isolated form showed an association with chronic course (p<0.0001) and unilaterality (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The most common anatomic pattern of NIU has been AU, followed by PU, PanU and IU. A systemic disease (mainly Behçet's disease, ankylosing spondylitis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis) has been recognised in a fair proportion of the entire cohort. The rheumatologist should remain a central professional figure in the multidisciplinary team dealing with intraocular inflammation on a daily basis.

Pattern of Pediatric Uveitis at a Tertiary Referral Institute in North India.

PURPOSE: To report the pattern of pediatric uveitis in a tertiary care referral center in North India. METHODS: In a retrospective study, records of pediatric uveitis cases presenting at our center between 1996 and 2015 were reviewed for demographic data, anatomic distribution, and diagnosis. RESULTS: Out of 9600 patients with uveitis, 369 children (3.84%; age ≤16 years; males: 54.20%) were included in the study. Anterior uveitis was the commonest presentation (n = 158; 42.81%), followed by posterior uveitis (n = 102; 27.64%). Uveitis was bilateral in 57.18% (n = 211). Infective etiology was seen in 99 children, of which tuberculosis was the commonest cause (n = 55; 14.91%). Among non-infectious etiologies, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) was the commonest cause (n = 59; 15.99%). CONCLUSIONS: While anterior uveitis is the commonest uveitis in children, our cohort reported a high number of posterior uveitis cases compared to previous studies. Tuberculosis and JIA were the commonest causes of pediatric uveitis.

[Prognostic factors in uveitis]. / Facteurs pronostiques des uvéites.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prognostic factors of vision loss among patients with uveitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This descriptive and retrospective study included all patients diagnosed with uveitis who were seen at the teaching hospital of Rabat, Morocco, over a 5-year period. Information regarding demographic data, uveitis type, bilaterality of the disease, etiology and complications were gathered from patients' records. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-nine eyes of 89 patients were included. There were 60.7 % men and 39.3 % women. The mean age (years) was 31.1±16.8. Median follow-up was 11 months. Median visual acuity (logMAR) on admission was 1.7 [0.7-2] and 1 [0.4-1.7] on the last visit (P<0.001). Fifty-nine percent of eyes had final visual acuity (VA) equal to or less than 1/10. Panuveitis (85.4 %) and posterior uveitis (72.7 %) were responsible for final VA equal to or less than 1/10 (P<0.001). Cataract, posterior synechiae, vitreous opacities, epimacular membrane (ERM) and cystoid macular edema (CME) were the most frequent complications. Using multivariate logistic regression, the prognostic factors associated with severe vision loss were the type of uveitis (posterior and panuveitis), CME, ERM, macular scarring and optic atrophy (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Although this study included a limited number of subjects, the results showed that final VA was equal or less than 1/10 in 59 % of eyes diagnosed with uveitis and was associated with risk factors including posterior segment involvement (panuveitis and posterior uveitis), CME and ERM.

Caracterización de los pacientes con uveítis remitidos a una unidad multidisciplinar de referencia en el norte de España / Profile of patients with uveitis referred to a multidisciplinary unit in northern Spain

OBJETIVO: Describir las características de los pacientes con uveítis valorados en una unidad multidisciplinar de referencia del norte de España. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Análisis retrospectivo de los pacientes con uveítis valorados en la Unidad Multidisciplinar del Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra desde enero del 2010 hasta marzo del 2015. Se analizaron las características demográficas, procedencia, tipos de uveítis, lateralidad, etiología y se compararon estas características con las de 2 series de pacientes de Castilla y León y de Barcelona. RESULTADOS: Se analizó a un total de 500 pacientes, 50% mujeres y con una edad media de 47,9±16,4 años. El 65,4% de las uveítis fueron anteriores; el 17,6%, posteriores; el 15,2%, panuveítis y el 1,8%, de localización intermedia. El 31,2% fueron no clasificables, seguidas de la enfermedad sistémica no infecciosa con el 29,2%. La espondilitis anquilopoyética (10,8%), la infección por virus herpes (9,2%) y la toxoplasmosis (7,8%) fueron las 3causas más frecuentes. En comparación con las otras 2series, en la de este estudio se encontró una mayor proporción de uveítis anteriores unilaterales. Además, en Navarra los pacientes presentaron mayor prevalencia de uveítis anterior unilateral y de uveítis idiopáticas en relación con la serie de Barcelona. CONCLUSIONES: Los datos de nuestro estudio demuestran características similares con las uveítis de otras regiones de nuestro país. Las uveítis anteriores unilaterales y las idiopáticas fueron las más frecuentes en nuestra serie

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main characteristics of a cohort of patients with uveitis referred to a multidisciplinary unit in northern Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of clinical records of patients evaluated in the Multidisciplinary Unit of the Navarra Hospital Complex from the period January 2010 until March 2015. An analysis was performed on the demographic characteristics, origin, types of uveitis, laterality, and aetiology. The present series was also compared with 2 previous series from Castilla y León and Barcelona. RESULTS: A total of 500 patients were identified, with a mean age of 47.9±16.4 years, with 50% women. The most frequent type of uveitis was anterior uveitis (65.4%), followed by posterior uveitis (17.6%), panuveitis (15.2%), and intermediate uveitis (1.8%). The origin was unclassifiable in 31.2%, followed by non-infectious systemic disease in 29.2%. Ankylosing spondylitis was the most frequent cause in 10.8% of patients, followed by herpes infection in 9.2%, and toxoplasmosis in 7.8%, respectively. Compared with the 2other cohorts, the present cohort showed a higher proportion of unilateral anterior uveitis. Furthermore, the patients from the Navarra series had a higher prevalence of unilateral and idiopathic uveitis compared to the series from Barcelona. CONCLUSIONS: The main characteristics of the present cohort of patients with uveitis are similar to those of patients from other regions of our country. Unilateral anterior uveitis and idiopathic uveitis were the most frequent in our series

Viral posterior uveitis.

The causes of posterior uveitis can be divided into infectious, autoimmune, or masquerade syndromes. Viral infections, a significant cause of sight-threatening ocular diseases in the posterior segment, include human herpesviruses, measles, rubella, and arboviruses such as dengue, West Nile, and chikungunya virus. Viral posterior uveitis may occur as an isolated ocular disease in congenital or acquired infections or as part of a systemic viral illness. Many viruses remain latent in the infected host with a risk of reactivation that depends on various factors, including virulence and host immunity, age, and comorbidities. Although some viral illnesses are self-limiting and have a good visual prognosis, others, such as cytomegalovirus retinitis or acute retinal necrosis, may result in serious complications and profound vision loss. Since some of these infections may respond well to antiviral therapy, it is important to work up all cases of posterior uveitis to rule out an infectious etiology. We review the clinical features, diagnostic tools, treatment regimens, and long-term outcomes for each of these viral posterior uveitides.

Development of de novo major involvement during follow-up in Behçet's syndrome.

The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of de novo major involvement during follow-up in a cohort of patients with Behçet's syndrome (BS); the secondary aim was to analyse the epidemiological profile and the long-term outcome of those patients who developed new major involvement. Among our cohort of 120 BS patients, we evaluated all subjects who had no major organ involvement during the early years of their disease; specifically, at disease onset, the 52% of the cohort presented a prevalent mucocutaneous involvement. The primary outcomes were represented by the following: Hatemi et al. (Rheum Dis Clin North Am 39(2):245-61, 2013) the incidence of de novo major involvement during the follow-up and Hatemi et al. (Clin Exp Rheumatol 32(4 Suppl 84):S112-22, 2014) the use of immunosuppressive drugs during the follow-up. We have defined the development of de novo major involvement during the follow-up as the occurrence of severe ocular, vascular or CNS involvement after a latency period from the diagnosis of at least 3 years. Among 62 patients characterized by a mild onset of disease, we observed that after at least 3 years from the diagnosis, 21 BS patients (34%) still developed serious morbidities. Specifically, three patients developed ocular involvement, nine patients developed neurological involvement and nine patients presented vascular involvement. Comparing main epidemiological and clinical findings of the two groups, we observed that patients who developed de novo major involvement were more frequently males and younger; furthermore, 95% of these patients were characterized by a young onset of disease (p < 0.001). Being free of major organ complication in the first years of BS is not necessary a sign of a favourable outcome. Globally, the development of de novo major involvement during the coursfce of BS suggests that a tight control is strongly recommended during the course of the disease.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis among patients with uveitis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis in patients with uveitis. METHOD: Patients with uveitis were examined. Serum antibodies to T. gondii and T. canis were tested by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using blood and aqueous humor (AH). RESULTS: 98 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 43.5 ± 13.2 years. Six patients were seropositive for T. gondii with the following pattern-anterior uveitis: 1; posterior uveitis with retinitis: 2; pan uveitis: 2. One patient had a positive result of PCR for T.gondii in AH, who showed pan uveitis. 23 patients were positive to serum IgG for T. canis with the following clinical manifestation-granuloma: 6; pigmented scar: 3; virtrits: 6-but none were PCR positive. CONCLUSION: T.gondii and T.canis are still one of the important causes of uveitis. Ocular toxocariasis is not an uncommon cause of uveitis even in adult.

Tuberculous uveitis in China.

PURPOSE: To assess tuberculous uveitis in Chinese patients. METHODS: The hospital-based observational case series study included patients who attended a third-referral hospital and presented with chronic and recurrent uveitis without primarily detected aetiology. The patients underwent the tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or interferon gamma release test (IGRA). Patients with positive test results received standard antituberculous therapy. Patients who responded to the therapy and did not show recurrence of uveitis in the follow-up period were diagnosed as tuberculous uveitis and formed the study group. The remaining patients were diagnosed as non-tuberculous uveitis and formed the control group. The clinical characteristics were compared between both groups. RESULTS: The study group with tuberculous uveitis included 46 patients and the non-tuberculous group 38 patients. Multifocal choroiditis [n = 9 (20%) versus n = 1(3%); p = 0.04] and retinal vasculitis [n = 25(54%) versus 8 = (21.1%); p = 0.002] were significantly more common in the study group. Of 25 patients with retinal vasculitis in the study group, 11 patients (44%) additionally showed choroiditis lesions, compared with only one (13%) of eight patients in the control group (p = 0.01). In multivariate regression analysis, multifocal choroiditis [odds ratio (OR): 32.1], choroidal granuloma (OR: 21.4) and retinal vasculitis (OR: 11.2) were independent predictors of tubercular uveitis. CONCLUSIONS: About 50% of a group of 84 patients with primarily unexplained chronic posterior uveitis had tuberculosis and showed multifocal choroiditis, choroidal granuloma and retinal vasculitis. These features had a high predictive value for the diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis. Tuberculosis is an important part in the differential diagnosis of unexplained uveitis.

Characteristics of uveitis presenting for the first time in the elderly: analysis of 91 patients in a tertiary center.

PURPOSE: To describe uveitis clinical characteristics in the elderly. METHODS: Retrospective review of 91 patients at the age of 60 or more years at the authors' uveitis tertiary center over a 7-year period. RESULTS: Uveitis in the elderly accounted for 30.1% of this population. Uveitis localization was anterior in 22.0% of patients, intermediate in 8.8%, posterior in 20.9%, while 41.7% patients presented with panuveitis. Sarcoidosis (37.4%) and idiopathic uveitis (36.3%) accounted for the majority of cases, whereas other diagnostic entities accounted for 26.3%. Panuveitis (41.7%) and sarcoidosis (37.4%) were detected at a significantly higher frequency than in the younger population. Contrarily, ankylosing spondylitis and established ophthalmological entities (pars planitis, Birdshot chorioretinopathy, Fuchs heterochromic cyclitis) were more common in patients younger than 60 years old. CONCLUSION: In the authors' experience, sarcoidosis is the leading cause of uveitis in the elderly. Idiopathic uveitis and other specific entities account for less than two-thirds of cases.

Patterns of uveitis in patients admitted to a University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: To analyze clinical patterns, causes, and systemic disease associations among patients with uveitis admitted to King Abdulaziz University Hospital. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 351 patients (600 eyes). RESULTS: The study subjects consisted of 183 (52.1%) males and 168 (47.9%) females, with a mean age of 39.9 ± 14.2 years at presentation. The most common anatomic diagnosis was panuveitis (68.6%), followed by posterior uveitis (12.7%), anterior uveitis (12.7%), and intermediate uveitis (6.0%). The most common identifiable specific diagnoses were presumed tuberculous uveitis (PTU) (28.2%), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease (19.4%), Behçet disease (BD) (12.5%), and toxoplasmosis (8.2%). After a mean follow-up period of 29.5 ± 22.1 months, 63.5% of the eyes achieved visual acuity of 20/40 or better. Eyes from patients with PTU had the worst final visual outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The most common anatomic diagnosis was panuveitis. PTU, VKH disease, BD, and toxoplasmosis were the most frequent specific diagnoses.

Interobserver agreement in scoring of dual fluorescein and ICG inflammatory angiographic signs for the grading of posterior segment inflammation.

PURPOSE: To test interobserver agreement in the fluorescein/indocyanine green angiography (FA/ICGA) scoring system for uveitis. METHODS: Four observers scored 32 dual FA/ICGAs. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze correlation between pairs of observers in scores assigned to angiographic signs. Kappa statistics were used to test agreement between pairs of observers in comparative total FA and ICGA scores. RESULTS: The authors found a significant correlation between pairs of observers in scores assigned to all FA signs and all except one ICGA sign. The only discordant sign was early stromal vessel hyperfluorescence on ICGA. There was a moderate to substantial agreement between pairs of observers in comparative FA/ICGA total scores. CONCLUSIONS: The level of agreement between uveitis specialists in scoring of dual FA/ICGA indicates that the scoring system tested in this study will be useful for clinical studies of uveitis. Increased experience with this system may further improve its reproducibility.

A clinical survey of uveitis in HTLV-1 endemic region.

PURPOSE: To investigate a clinical survey of uveitis in southern Kyushu of Japan, where human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and toxoplasmosis is highly endemic. METHODS: The clinical records of patients with uveitis between 1975 and 2007 at Miyata Eye Hospital were reviewed. RESULTS: A total number of 1338 patients (2012 eyes), consisting of 526 men and 812 women with mean age of 50.5 years old, were analyzed. The most common clinical entity was HTLV-1 uveitis (17.1%), followed by Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (9.9%), sarcoidosis (7.2%), toxoplasmosis (7.1%), Behçet's disease (4.3%) and others. Unclassified uveitis comprised 41.1% in the series. Anterior uveitis was seen in 30.8%, intermediate uveitis in 17.3%, posterior uveitis in 9.3%, and pan-uveitis in 42.6%. CONCLUSIONS: HTLV-1 uveitis and toxoplasmosis were the major clinical entities in southern Kyushu of Japan. This relates to the high seroprevalence of the infectious agents in this region of Japan.