Patterns of Uveitis at a Tertiary Referral Center in Southern Iran

PURPOSE: To ascertain the patterns of uveitis at Motahari uveitis clinic, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, a tertiary referral center in Shiraz, Southern Iran. METHODS: All new cases of uveitis referred from June 2005 to July 2011 to our center were consecutively enrolled in the study. After taking a complete history of systemic and ocular diseases, all patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including determination of Snellen visual acuity, slit lamp biomicroscopy, applanation tonometry and dilated fundus examination. Patients were classified according to International Uveitis Study Group definitions. RESULTS: A total of 475 subjects were evaluated; mean age at the onset of uveitis was 30.5 ±15.14 years. Uveitis was unilateral in 292 (61.4%) and bilateral in 183 (38.6%) patients. Anterior uveitis was the most common type of inflammation (190 patients, 40%), followed by posterior uveitis (133 patients, 28%), panuveitis (99 patients, 20.8%) and intermediate uveitis (53 patients, 11.1%). A specific cause was found in 295 patients (61.9%). HLA-B27 negative was the most common cause of anterior uveitis (84 patients, 44.2%), Behcet's disease was the most common etiology of panuveitis (34 cases, 34.3%) and toxoplasmosis was the most common cause of posterior uveitis (56 patients, 42.1%). The great majority of intermediate uveitis cases were idiopathic (49 patients, 92.4%). CONCLUSION: The most common type of uveitis in Southern Iran is anterior. The most common underlying disorders are HLA-B27 negative, toxoplasmosis and Behcet's disease.