Demographic and Clinical Features of Pediatric Uveitis at a Tertiary Referral Center in Iran

PURPOSE: To determine the clinical features and distribution of uveitis in the pediatric age group at a referral eye care center in Shiraz, South Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All new cases of uveitis in patients 18-year-old or younger referred from January 2007 to December 2013 were enrolled in this study. The patient underwent a complete history of systemic and ocular diseases, comprehensive ophthalmic examination. Patients were classified according to the International Uveitis Study Group definitions. The definitive diagnosis was based on clinical manifestations and laboratory investigations. RESULTS: Seventy-seven eyes (54 patients) comprised the study sample. The mean age at the onset of uveitis was 12.5 years. The female-to-male ratio was 1.25. Anterior uveitis was the most frequent anatomical location (40.7%), followed by intermediate uveitis (33.3%), posterior uveitis (18.5%), and panuveitis (7.5%). Seventy-four percent of patients presented with chronic uveitis. Noninfectious uveitis (81.5%) was the most frequent etiology. Thirty-seven percent of patients had a specific diagnosis for uveitis, and 63% were classified as idiopathic cases. Toxocariasis was the most common infectious cause. Associated systemic diseases were present in 14.8% of patients. The most frequent systemic disease was juvenile idiopathic arthritis in 9.2% of patients. Complications occurred in 66 (85.5%) of affected eyes. The most common complications were posterior synechia (20.7%), cataract (18.8%), and cystoid macular edema (12.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Uveitis in the majority of children had an insidious onset and was chronic. Over half the patients had a specific diagnosis. Idiopathic cases were more common in the intermediate uveitis group.