Epidemiology of endogenous uveitis in south-western Finland

We studied the case records of 1122 patients with endogenous uveitis including 418 new cases treated at the University Eye Clinic in Turku during the years 1980-1982 and 1988. The mean annual incidence and prevalence rates of anterior uveitis were, respectively, 21.3 and 68.7 per 100,000, of posterior uveitis 0.8 and 4.6 per 100,000, of panuveitis 0.2 and 0.8 per 100 000, and of all uveitis cases 22.6 and 75.4 per 100,000 population. The incidence of uveitis was higher in the age group 20-69 years than in the age groups 0-19 years (p < 0.001) and 70 years or over (p = 0.049). The incidence rates were not different between sexes in any age group (p = 0.2). The incidence of uveitis was higher in lower socio-economic groups than in higher socio-economic groups (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the incidence of uveitis between sexes in different socio-economic groups (p = 0.1).