Patterns of Uveitis at a Tertiary Referral Center in Southern Iran

PURPOSE To ascertain the patterns of uveitis at Motahari uveitis clinic, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, a tertiary referral center in Shiraz, Southern Iran. METHODS All new cases of uveitis referred from June 2005 to July 2011 to our center were consecutively enrolled in the study. After taking a complete history of systemic and ocular diseases, all patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including determination of Snellen visual acuity, slit lamp biomicroscopy, applanation tonometry and dilated fundus examination. Patients were classified according to International Uveitis Study Group definitions. RESULTS A total of 475 subjects were evaluated; mean age at the onset of uveitis was 30.5 ±15.14 years. Uveitis was unilateral in 292 (61.4%) and bilateral in 183 (38.6%) patients. Anterior uveitis was the most common type of inflammation (190 patients, 40%), followed by posterior uveitis (133 patients, 28%), panuveitis (99 patients, 20.8%) and intermediate uveitis (53 patients, 11.1%). A specific cause was found in 295 patients (61.9%). HLA-B27 negative was the most common cause of anterior uveitis (84 patients, 44.2%), Behcet's disease was the most common etiology of panuveitis (34 cases, 34.3%) and toxoplasmosis was the most common cause of posterior uveitis (56 patients, 42.1%). The great majority of intermediate uveitis cases were idiopathic (49 patients, 92.4%). CONCLUSION The most common type of uveitis in Southern Iran is anterior. The most common underlying disorders are HLA-B27 negative, toxoplasmosis and Behcet's disease.