Tuberculous uveitis in China

To assess tuberculous uveitis in Chinese patients.

The hospital-based observational case series study included patients who attended a third-referral hospital and presented with chronic and recurrent uveitis without primarily detected aetiology. The patients underwent the tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or interferon gamma release test (IGRA). Patients with positive test results received standard antituberculous therapy. Patients who responded to the therapy and did not show recurrence of uveitis in the follow-up period were diagnosed as tuberculous uveitis and formed the study group. The remaining patients were diagnosed as non-tuberculous uveitis and formed the control group. The clinical characteristics were compared between both groups.

The study group with tuberculous uveitis included 46 patients and the non-tuberculous group 38 patients. Multifocal choroiditis [n = 9 (20%) versus n = 1(3%); p = 0.04] and retinal vasculitis [n = 25(54%) versus 8 = (21.1%); p = 0.002] were significantly more common in the study group. Of 25 patients with retinal vasculitis in the study group, 11 patients (44%) additionally showed choroiditis lesions, compared with only one (13%) of eight patients in the control group (p = 0.01). In multivariate regression analysis, multifocal choroiditis [odds ratio (OR): 32.1], choroidal granuloma (OR: 21.4) and retinal vasculitis (OR: 11.2) were independent predictors of tubercular uveitis.

About 50% of a group of 84 patients with primarily unexplained chronic posterior uveitis had tuberculosis and showed multifocal choroiditis, choroidal granuloma and retinal vasculitis. These features had a high predictive value for the diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis. Tuberculosis is an important part in the differential diagnosis of unexplained uveitis.