Epidemiology and disease patterns of uveitis in Taiwan: A nationwide multicenter analysis

This study investigated the disease patterns of uveitis in Taiwan using a nationwide multicenter tertiary referral registry.

The Taiwan Ocular Inflammation Society (TOIS) initiated this multicenter observational study across 15 tertiary referral centers, enrolling consecutive patients newly diagnosed with uveitis between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Demographic characteristics, anatomical classification, and etiologic diagnoses were analyzed.

A total of 1654 patients were included, comprising 817 women (49.4%) and 837 men (50.6%), (mean age 49.5 ± 18.3 years; 72.1% adults aged 16-65 years, 4.2% pediatric, 23.7% older than 65 years). Unilateral involvement was observed in 73.8% of patients. Anterior uveitis (AU) was the most common anatomical subtype (64.3%), followed by panuveitis (22.4%), posterior uveitis (11.0%), and intermediate uveitis (2.3%). Noninfectious etiologies accounted for 43.6% of cases, infectious causes for 23.5%, and 32.9% remained undifferentiated. The most frequent noninfectious diagnoses were HLA-B27-associated uveitis (15.4%), glaucomatocyclitic crisis (5.0%), and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome (3.3%). Behçet-related uveitis was uncommon (1.2%). Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) accounted for only 8.6% of pediatric cases. Herpetic AU (7.7%) and cytomegalovirus AU (5.1%) were the leading infectious entities. Infectious uveitis was associated with older age, male predominance, and unilateral disease.

AU and noninfectious etiologies of uveitis predominate in Taiwan. HLA-B27-associated uveitis and VKH syndrome are the major noninfectious entities. Behçet-related uveitis and JIA-associated uveitis are uncommon, reflecting patterns observed across Asian populations. Findings from this nationwide multicenter study provide important data for diagnostic strategies and health policy planning.