Abstract
Purpose :
To describe the characteristics of patients affected by both arthritis and uveitis.
Methods :
Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients, age 18 or less, diagnosed with both uveitis and arthritis at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital between 2017 and 2021. Outcome measures included arthritis type, severity, course and relative severity of disease between uveitis and arthritis
Results :
Thirty-three patient charts were reviewed. Thirty patients were female (90.9%). Anterior uveitis was the most common type, accounting for 97% of cases. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) accounted for 90.9% of uveitis etiologies: oligoarticular (74.2%), polyarticular (22.6%), and psoriatic (3.2%). Thirty-two patients (97%) had bilateral involvement of uveitis. Thirty patients (90.9%) required immunomodulatory therapy. Arthritis severity was classified as follows: mild (60.6%), moderate (35.4%), and severe (3%). Uveitis was relatively more severe compared to arthritis in 72.7% of patients, less severe in 18.2% and equivocal in 9.1%. Of the 6 patients in whom arthritis was the more severe condition, 2 initially had uveitis as the more severe condition. No patients suffered functional disability from their arthritis.
Conclusions :
In pediatric uveitis, arthritis often plays a significant role in the disease course and treatment choices. In some patients with severe uveitis, arthritis can later become the predominant clinical condition. Functional disability from arthritis was absent from this cohort.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.