Prevalence of the spondyloarthritides in patients with uveitis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of the spondyloarthritides in patients with uveitis and to establish criteria for certain subtypes of this group of diseases.


METHODS
In a university-based prospective study, we examined 433 patients with different types of uveitis for signs of spondyloarthritides as defined by the classification criteria of the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG).


RESULTS
Forty-four of the 433 uveitis patients (36 with acute anterior uveitis and 8 with other types of uveitis) had spondyloarthritis according to the ESSG classification criteria. Nineteen of these 44 patients had ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 11 had undifferentiated spondyloarthritis, 9 reactive arthritis, and 5 psoriatic arthritis.


CONCLUSIONS
Uveitis is associated not only with AS and reactive arthritis, but also with undifferentiated spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. The ESSG criteria are helpful in identifying these spondyloarthritides in uveitis patients.
Linder
Roland
R
Institute of Medical Informatics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany. linder@imi.uni-luebeck.de
Hoffmann
Axel
A
Brunner
Richard
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D025241:Spondylarthritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D014605:Uveitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology