The association of uveitis with hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses: a large-scale population-based study

To examine the association of uveitis with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) chronic infections METHOD: This is a population-based cross-sectional study. The study encompassed 13,183 consecutive patients with uveitis and 65,331control subjects. The prevalence of chronic HBV and HCV infections was compared between patients diagnosed with uveitis and age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched controls. Lifetime prevalence rates of HBV and HCV were calculated for patients with uveitis and control individuals. Odds ratio (OR) for HBV and HCV was evaluated across different strata.

The lifetime prevalence rate of chronic HBV infection was greater in patients with uveitis than in controls (1.2% vs. 0.8%, respectively; P < 0.001). The association of HBV with uveitis was statistically significant among individuals older than 40 years of age, both sexes, and individuals of Jewish ethnicity. The lifetime prevalence of HCV was comparable between patients with uveitis and controls (0.8% vs. 0.7%, respectively; P = 0.189). Thus, no independently significant association was found between uveitis and HCV (fully-adjusted OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.93-1.42; P = 0.211).

Uveitis is associated with HBV. The association was more prominent among older and Jewish patients. Patients with uveitis may benefit from screening for HBV. An association between uveitis and HCV has not been found.