title: Clinical patterns and characteristics of uveitis in a tertiary center for uveitis in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To address the clinical pattern and characteristics of uveitis in a tertiary center for uveitis in China and compare the similarity and difference in the distribution of uveitis entities between China and other countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was performed on the patients with uveitis referred to the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from January 1996 to December 2003. The clinical data including category, etiology, gender, and the age of the patients at uveitis presentation were analyzed and compared with studies published previously from other countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 902 male and 850 female patients in our series. The mean age of these patients at uveitis presentation was 33.8 +/- 16.5 years. Anterior uveitis (800, 45.6%) was the most common anatomical entity, followed by panuveitis (727, 41.5%), posterior uveitis (119, 6.8%), and intermediate uveitis (106, 6.1%). Further classification with the etiology criteria revealed 16 entities in anterior uveitis, with idiopathic anterior uveitis being the most common entity (473, 27.0%). Twelve entities were identified in panuveitis, of which Behçet disease (289, 16.5%) and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome (278, 15.9%) were the predominant ones. No specific entity was recognized in the intermediate uveitis group. Although a number of specific entities were identified in posterior uveitis, toxoplasmosis was noted in only two patients in this group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Idiopathic anterior uveitis, Behçet disease, and VKH syndrome are the most common entities of uveitis in China. Ocular toxoplasmosis, ocular histoplasmosis, and birdshot retinochoroidopathy are less common or absent in China.
authors.affiliation: Uveitis Study Center, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. peizengyang@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Peizeng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiangkun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Liangxiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yalin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klooster
authors.forename: Aize
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kijlstra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015864:Panuveitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014605:Uveitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D014606:Uveitis, Anterior / Q000453:epidemiology; D015867:Uveitis, Intermediate / Q000453:epidemiology; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000453:epidemiology; D014607:Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology