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Pediatric uveitis in southern Turkey
1Department of Ophthalmology, Cukurova University Medical Faculty Adana, Turkey.
Insights
Pediatric uveitis (inflammation of the eye) is often caused by specific conditions, with toxoplasmosis being the most frequent. This study analyzed 90 pediatric cases to understand the causes of childhood uveitis.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Pediatric uveitis is uncommon, with distinct etiologies compared to adult cases.
- Understanding the causes of uveitis in children is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the etiology of uveitis in pediatric patients (onset at 16 years or younger).
- To compare findings with other international studies on pediatric uveitis.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 90 pediatric uveitis cases (ages 5-20) at Cukurova University Medical Faculty.
- Analysis of uveitis type (anterior, intermediate, panuveitis, posterior) and associated conditions.
Main Results:
- Toxoplasmosis was the most common associated condition (39%), followed by Behçet's disease (17%).
- Idiopathic cases were more prevalent in anterior and panuveitis than posterior uveitis.
- Associated conditions were identified in 65.6% of patients.
Conclusions:
- Toxoplasmosis is a leading cause of pediatric uveitis in this cohort.
- Etiological differences may be influenced by environmental, cultural, and genetic factors.
Abstract:
Uveitis in the pediatric population is not so common, and the etiology is different from adults. In the present study the charts of the patients with onset of uveitis at 16 years of age or younger were reviewed in order to analyze the etiology in pediatric patients with uveitis, and to compare the results with other studies carried out on different populations. The charts of 90 cases, followed at the Uvea-Immunology Clinic of the Cukurova University Medical Faculty Department of Ophthalmology, between January 1987 and February 1996 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 47 girls, 43 boys, aged 5-20 (13.64 +/- 4.24) in the study group. The average age at onset of uveitis was 12.20 +/- 4.81, and the follow-up period was 9-98 months (21.80 +/- 11.13). Of the 90 patients 31 (34.4%) had panuveitis, 30 (33.3%) had anterior uveitis, 21 (23.3%) had posterior uveitis and 8 (8.9%) had intermediate uveitis. Only 2 (9.5%) of the patients with posterior uveitis were considered idiopathic after extensive laboratory and clinical work-up, whereas idiopathic cases constituted 48.4% of panuveitis, and 46.7% of anterior uveitis cases. Of the 90 patients an associated condition could be found in only 59 (65.6%) patients. Of these 59 patients 23 had toxoplasmosis (39%), which constituted the most common associated condition in this study. The second most common underlying cause was Behçet's disease (17%), followed by pars planitis (13.6%), Fuchs' heterochromic iridocyclitis (8.5%), JRA (5.1%), leukemia (5.1%), and herpetic eye disease (5.1%). There were single cases with Reiter, toxocariasis, traumatic uveitis, and sympathetic ophthalmia. Environmental, cultural and genetic factors may be accountable for the differences in relative frequencies of some of the associated conditions between our findings and those of previously published studies in patients with pediatric uveitis.