Pattern of Uveitis in Northern Vietnam

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases
• Immunology

Background:

• Uveitis, a group of inflammatory eye conditions, presents diverse clinical patterns and etiologies.
• Understanding the specific spectrum of uveitis in different geographic regions is crucial for targeted diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the spectrum of uveitis in patients visiting three tertiary hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• To identify the prevalence of different uveitis types and their associated etiologies in a Vietnamese population.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, multicenter data collection from 410 uveitis patients in Hanoi, Vietnam (January 2022 - January 2024).
• Data included patient demographics, clinical findings, laboratory results, and etiological investigations.
• Classification of uveitis based on anatomical location (anterior, intermediate, posterior, panuveitis).

Main Results:

• Anterior uveitis (40%) was most common, followed by panuveitis (30%), posterior uveitis (26.1%), and intermediate uveitis (3.9%).
• Undifferentiated uveitis accounted for 32%. Leading causes included Posner-Schlossman syndrome, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-induced uveitis, Herpes simplex virus-induced uveitis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome, toxocariasis, and toxoplasmosis.
• Most frequent complications were cataract (11.2%) and uveitic macular edema (11%).

Conclusions:

• Non-infectious uveitis was predominant in this Vietnamese patient cohort.
• The study highlights the importance of considering specific regional etiologies like VKH syndrome and Posner-Schlossman syndrome in uveitis diagnosis.