Aetiological distribution of uveitis patients in Southern Turkey

A prospective study was conducted involving 363 patients seen in the UveaImmunology Clinic of the Department of Ophthalmology, Çukurova University Medical Faculty, to determine the aetiological distribution of uveitis in this region. The results of the study were compared with previous studies carried out on different populations, and the significance of geographical, cultural and genetic factors in the occurrence of uveitis was discussed. In the authors' study group an aetiological diagnosis was established in 68.3% of the patients, whereas 115 cases (31.7%) were diagnosed as idiopathic uveitis. 203 cases (55.9%) were found to be associated with systemic diseases and 45 patients (12.4%), who had a well established clinical uveitis without a recognizable systemic disorder were diagnosed as having primary ocular syndromes. Although the aetiological distribution of the patients in our study group was found to be similar to that of other populations living in different regions in Turkey, it was completely different from the results of studies performed on populations living in different geographical areas of the world, who have different cultural and genetic characteristics. In the authors' study an associated condition was found in a high percentage of the patients, the most frequent of which was Behçet's disease (32.5%).