Patterns of childhood-onset uveitis in a referral center in Turkey

PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the frequency and characteristics of childhood-onset uveitis and evaluate the rate and specific causes of visual loss in this population. METHODS The data of 121 patients (179 eyes) with uveitis starting before ≤16 years and followed up for at least 6 months were retrospectively evaluated. Age at onset, sex, laterality, associated systemic disease, laboratory data, therapeutic strategies, surgeries, final visual acuity, and causes leading to visual acuity ≤20/200 were analyzed. RESULTS Childhood-onset uveitis made up 9.6% of our uveitis patients. The mean age at onset was 11.7 years (1-16) and the mean follow-up period was 38.5 months (6-148). Forty-three patients (35.5%) were female and 78 were male (64.5%). The disease was bilateral in 58 (47.9%) and unilateral in 63 (52.1%) patients. Uveitis was mostly (59.5%) seen between 12 and 16 years of age. Pars planitis, observed in 29 (24%) patients, was the leading cause of childhood-onset uveitis. Uveitis was idiopathic in 20 (16.5%) of patients. The most frequently associated diseases were Behcet's disease (BD) in 20 (16.5%), toxoplasmosis in 16 (13.2%), and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in 8 (6.6%) patients. Anterior uveitis was observed in 38 (31.4%), intermediate uveitis in 31 (25.6%), posterior uveitis in 30 (24.8%), and panuveitis in 22 (18.2%) patients. The final visual acuity was ≤20/200 in 32/179 eyes (17.9%) of 27/121 patients (22.3%). The most often ocular complication leading to visual acuity ≤20/200 was optic atrophy and had been observed in 14 of 32 eyes (43.7%). Macular scar observed in five eyes (15.6%) was the second most often complication. Etiological distribution of 27 patients with visual acuity ≤20/200 was as follows: 12 had BD (44.4%), 5 had idiopathic uveitis (18.5%), 4 had pars planitis (14.8%), 3 had toxoplasmosis (11.1%), 2 had JIA (7.4%), and 1 had toxocara (3.7%). CONCLUSIONS Although rare, childhood-onset uveitis has a blinding potential and causes visual loss in up to 22.3% of the patients. In endemic areas like Turkey, BD may be the most common uveitis-associated systemic disease and the leading cause of visual loss in childhood uveitis as adulthood.