Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
10:33
Primed Mycobacterial Uveitis (PMU) as a Model for Post-Infectious Uveitis
Published on: December 17, 2021
Comparative Five-Year Risks of Systemic Complications with Biologic versus Conventional Therapy in Non-infectious
Muhammad Z Chauhan1, Jawad Muayad1, Jamie L Surgent-Nahay1
1Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ophthalmology
|July 6, 2026
Summary
Systemic biologic therapy for non-infectious uveitis (NIU) increases risks of serious infections and cytopenias compared to no treatment. However, its safety profile is comparable to conventional therapy, emphasizing personalized risk assessment and monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Non-infectious uveitis (NIU) requires systemic therapy to manage inflammation and prevent vision loss.
- Systemic treatments, including biologics and conventional agents, carry potential risks of complications.
- Comparative data on long-term systemic complication risks between different NIU treatment modalities are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the five-year risks of systemic complications in patients with NIU treated with systemic biologic therapy versus conventional therapy.
- To evaluate the safety profiles of biologic versus no systemic therapy and biologic versus conventional therapy in NIU patients.
Main Methods:
- Multicenter retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX Collaborative Network.
- Propensity score-matched comparisons of adult NIU patients (biologic vs. no systemic therapy; biologic vs. conventional therapy).
- Time-to-event analyses assessed incidence of serious infections, hematologic cytopenias, heart failure, thromboembolic events, diabetes, malignancy, psychiatric illness, hospitalization, and mortality over five years.
Main Results:
- Biologic therapy was associated with higher five-year risks of serious infections (pneumonia, sepsis) and hematologic cytopenias compared to no systemic therapy.
- Compared to conventional therapy, biologics showed a comparable safety profile, with exceptions of higher rates of hematologic cytopenias, psychiatric illness, and hospitalization.
- Risks of heart failure, thromboembolic events, diabetes, and mortality did not significantly differ between biologic and no systemic therapy groups.
Conclusions:
- Systemic biologic therapy for NIU is linked to increased risks of serious infections and hematologic cytopenias versus no systemic treatment.
- Biologic therapy demonstrates a broadly comparable five-year safety profile to conventional immunomodulatory therapy in NIU.
- Findings support stepwise immunosuppression and highlight the need for individualized risk assessment and vigilant monitoring for patients on systemic NIU therapy.
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