Uveitis incidence in the United States (US): a database study using the Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS)® Registry

Abstract

Purpose : To determine the incidence of uveitis in the US for new and established patients in the IRIS Registry.

Methods : IRIS® Registry patients receiving eye care prior to and during the 2017 period of interest (POI) were included. Cases of uveitis and their anatomic location were identified and subdivided using ICD-10 codes: anterior uveitis (AU), intermediate uveitis (IU), posterior uveitis (PU), panuveitis (PanU), scleritis, retinal vasculitis (RV), and “mixed” (scleritis + any intraocular inflammation). New patients were those not previously registered in IRIS who presented with a uveitis diagnosis during the POI. Established patients were defined as the cohort seen prior to 2016 with ≥1 year of follow-up who received a new diagnosis of uveitis in 2017. To exclude postoperative uveitis, patients who had an intraocular procedure in or 90 days before 2017 were excluded. Cumulative incidence rate and demographic factors were analyzed.

Results : Among established patients, the cumulative uveitis incidence rate during the POI was 112.84 per 100,000 person-years, with incident cases being most common in the 7th and 8th decades of life (DOL).(Table) Among new patients, the percentage of patients who presented with a uveitis diagnosis was highest in the working-age population, with a peak percentage of 0.63% in the 4th DOL. Black or African-American patients had the highest incidence among established patients and also the highest percentage of uveitis among new patients.(Table) The baseline age distribution of both established and new patients diagnosed with IU was wider than the rest of the uveitis categories and patients without a diagnosis of uveitis.(Figure)

Conclusions : The incidence of uveitis within the IRIS dataset is comparable to that reported in other population-based studies. Among established patients, uveitis incidence was highest in the 7th and 8th DOL. Among new patients, the working-age population was predominantly affected. Black or African-Americans were disproportionately affected by uveitis, compared to other races.

This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.

 

Table. Demographic breakdown of cumulative uveitis cases in the IRIS Registry. Incidence rates among established patients are listed per 100,000 person-years.

 

Figure. Violin plots showing distributions of age of IRIS® Registry patients at initial uveitis diagnosis stratified by uveitis subtypes and those without diagnosis of uveitis (controls).