Purpose:
1) Describe diabetes frequency in population with uveitis attending Conde de la Valenciana Institute, 2) describe demographic characteristics and 3) asses the relationship between hyperglycemia and inflammatory reaction in patients with diabetes and active uveitis.
Methods:
Prospective case series, observational and descriptive. We recruited patients with active uveitis and diabetes mellitus. The initial evaluation of patients was conducted by two researchers and included complete ophthalmic history, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit lamp biomicroscopy and fundus evaluation. The degree of inflammatory activity was determined according to SUN. Central glucose was requested at the time of diagnosis of uveitis or reactivation and during every visit. Comparison of blood glucose and degree of inflammatory activity was performed for all the observation points. Glycemia was related to the degree of inflammatory activity using Spearman test.
Results:
315 patients with uveitis were evaluated, 48 patients were diabetic (15.2%), two patients had type 1 diabetes (2%). We found 38 female (79.1%), unilateral uveitis presented in 27 cases (56.2%); mean age was 56.75, time course of diabetes was 10.64 years. The most frequent cuases of uveitis were non-granulomatous anterior uveitis 29.1% (n=14), panuveitis 12.5% (n=6), VKH12.5% (n=6), herpetic uveitis 10.4% (n=5) and scleritis 10.4% (n=5). Twenty five (51.02%) patients presented its first episode of uveitis. There is a statistically significant positive correlation (p<0.05) between the anterior chamber inflammation and hyperglycemia in non granulomatous idiopatic anterior uveitis and herpetic uveitis.
Conclusions:
Non granulomatous anterior uveitis, VKH and panuveitis are the most frequent types of uveitis in patients with diabetes. There is a positive correlation between hyperglycemia and inflammation in anterior chamber in patients with anterior uveitis. The behavior of uveitis in these patients is more aggressive and occurs more often bilaterally.
Keywords: autoimmune disease • diabetes • uvea