Noninfectious uveitis and pregnancy

To report the course of uveitis disease activity during pregnancy and the postpartum period in women with noninfectious uveitis.

Observational case series.

The medical records of women with noninfectious uveitis and pregnancy during follow-up at a large eye hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with pregnancy were included in the study if follow-up was adequate to document the presence or absence of flare-ups in uveitis activity during the pregnancy and/or postpartum period.

Seventy-six pregnancies among 50 women were included in the study. Thirty-three pregnancies were in women with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, 19 were in women with Behcet disease, and 24 were in women with idiopathic uveitis. A flare-up in uveitis activity occurred within the first 4 months of pregnancy in 49 of 76 cases (64%) and later in pregnancy in 17 cases (22%); no flare-up occurred during pregnancy in 21 cases (28%). An early pregnancy flare-up was typical of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and idiopathic uveitis. A flare-up within 6 months of delivery occurred in 38 of 59 cases (64%) that had adequate examination data available from the postpartum period. The postpartum flare-up was especially typical of Behcet disease.

Many women with noninfectious uveitis will experience a flare-up in disease activity within the first 4 months of pregnancy. Later pregnancy appears to be a time of relative disease inactivity. Many will experience a rebound in activity within 6 months of delivery.