Pattern of uveitis in first-time patients at a tertiary referral center in Saitama, Japan

The distribution of uveitis varies worldwide and changes over time. Although nationwide surveys in Japan report shifts in disease patterns, updated epidemiological data after 2020 remain limited. In this study, we investigated the current pattern of uveitis among first-time patients at a regional university hospital in Japan and compared the findings with previous nationwide surveys.

Retrospective observational study.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with uveitis who first visited Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2023. Collected data included age, sex, diagnosis, and anatomical classification of uveitis.

A total of 671 patients were included, with a mean age of 57.8 ± 21.1 years. Panuveitis was the most common anatomical subtype (55.0%), followed by anterior (34.9%), posterior (9.4%), and intermediate uveitis (0.7%). Definitive diagnoses were established in 62.7% of patients. The most frequent etiologies were sarcoidosis (9.7%), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (8.2%), herpetic iritis (6.3%), intraocular lymphoma (4.5%), and Behçet's disease (3.7%). Compared with previous nationwide surveys, higher proportions of cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) and intraocular lymphoma were found.

The findings in this study provide updated epidemiological data on uveitis in Japan, revealing higher proportions of CMVR and intraocular lymphoma among first-time patients at a regional university hospital. These trends might reflect population aging and an increasing number of immunocompromised patients, including those receiving immunosuppressive therapy or having hematologic malignancies.