title: Epidemiology and course of disease in childhood uveitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the disease characteristics and visual outcome of pediatric uveitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, longitudinal observation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred twenty-seven pediatric uveitis patients from the National Eye Institute, University of Illinois, Chicago, and Oregon Health Sciences University.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographics, uveitis disease characteristics, complications, treatments, and visual outcomes were determined at baseline and at 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year time points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient population was 54% female; 62.4% white, 12.5% black, 2.7% Asian, 2.1% multiracial, and 14.61% Hispanic. Median age at diagnosis was 9.4 years. The leading diagnoses were idiopathic uveitis (28.8%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis (20.9%), and pars planitis (17.1%). Insidious onset (58%) and persistent duration (75.3%) were most common. Anterior uveitis was predominant (44.6%). Complications were frequent, and cystoid macular edema (odds ratio [OR] 2.94; P = 0.006) and hypotony (OR, 4.54; P = 0.026) had the most significant visual impact. Ocular surgery was performed in 18.9% of patients. The prevalence of legal blindness was 9.23% at baseline, 6.52% at 1 year, 3.17% at 3 years, 15.15% at 5 years, and 7.69% at 10 years. Posterior uveitis and panuveitis had more severe vision loss. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with a higher prevalence of infectious uveitis and vision loss at baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate and spectrum of vision threatening complications of pediatric uveitis are significant. Prospective studies using standard outcome measures and including diverse populations are needed to identify children most at risk.
authors: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health/Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. smithja2@od.nih.gov
authors: Janine A
authors: JA
authors: Smith
authors: Friederike
authors: F
authors: Mackensen
authors: H Nida
authors: HN
authors: Sen
authors: Julie F
authors: JF
authors: Leigh
authors: Angela S
authors: AS
authors: Watkins
authors: Dmitry
authors: D
authors: Pyatetsky
authors: Howard H
authors: HH
authors: Tessler
authors: Robert B
authors: RB
authors: Nussenblatt
authors: James T
authors: JT
authors: Rosenbaum
authors: George F
authors: GF
authors: Reed
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Vitale
authors: Justine R
authors: JR
authors: Smith
authors: Debra A
authors: DA
authors: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014605:Uveitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology