Epidemiology and Clinical Course of Pediatric Uveitis in a Tertiary Referral Center in Northeastern Iran.

Purpose: To describe the distribution, clinical findings, treatment, complications, and visual outcomes of pediatric uveitis at a tertiary referral ophthalmic center.

Methods: The medical records of all patients ≤18 years diagnosed with and managed as uveitis from August 2016 to August 2021 were reviewed retrospectively.

Results: Of the 97 patients, 52.6% were female, and the mean age at the onset was 10.5 ± 4.6 years (6 months to 18 years). Uveitis cases were predominantly anterior (33 [34%]), chronic (59 [60.8%]), bilateral (63 [64.9%]), and non-infectious (80 [82.5%]). A total of 36.1% (35 patients) of cases were idiopathic, and the most frequent systemic associations were juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 16 [16.5%]) and Behcet's disease (15 [15.5%]). Most patients (74 [76.3%]) experienced ocular complications, including vasculitis (29 [29.9%]), posterior synechiae (23 [23.7%]), and cataracts (22 [22.7%]). Patients with uveitis of all anatomic locations experienced an improvement in best-corrected visual acuity during the follow-up period (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The most prevalent systemic associations were JIA and Behcet's disease. Ocular Behcet is a common etiology of pediatric uveitis in northeastern Iran. A timely and appropriate treatment could result in satisfactory visual outcomes.