[A case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with panuveitis]

An association of bilateral panuveitis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) was recognized in a case which had an acute onset of systemic JRA without ocular manifestations 3 years previously. On the present occasion she had no active systemic inflammation at the onset of panuveitis. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated bilateral hypo-fluorescent patches at the posterior pole in the early stage and corresponding window defects in the late stage. Topical corticosteroid treatment and oral non-steroid therapy resulted in clinical improvement of the uveitis. It is concluded that ophthalmologic examinations, including fundus ophthalmoscopy, are important in patients with JRA, since there is a possibility of ocular symptoms, even in the systemic type in which ocular complications are rare, as well as in cases with a long interval since the onset of arthritis.