Demographic and clinical features of pediatric uveitis and scleritis at a tertiary referral center in China

BACKGROUND: To analyse demographic, clinical features, treatment and therapeutic outcomes of pediatric uveitis and scleritis patients. SUBJECTS: The clinical records of pediatric uveitis and scleritis cases between January 2012 and December 2020 at a tertiary uveitis service center in Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (TMUEH) were reviewed. RESULTS: In total, 209 patients (337 eyes) were included, 49.3% were male. The median onset age was 9.0 (IQR, 7.0–12.0) years. Chronic uveitis and scleritis accounted for 86.1%. Panuveitis (29.2%), anterior uveitis(29.2%), and intermediate uveitis (22.0%) were the most common presentations. The most common diagnoses were idiopathic (71.3%), JIA (8.1%), and infectious uveitis (4.8%). At baseline, 40.7% patients received oral corticosteroid therapy; during follow-up, corticosteroids (66.0%), disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (61.2%), and biologic agents (35.4%) were the mainstay. Posterior synechia (26.1%) and cataracts (25.5%) were the most common complications. In acute cases, the median best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.99 (IQR, 0.5–1.0) at baseline and 0 (IQR, 0–0) at last follow-up; in chronic cases, the median BCVA improved from 1.09 (IQR, 0.5–2.0) to 0.27 (IQR, 0–0.5), with anterior chamber cell grade significantly declining. Ten eyes underwent cataract surgery during regular follow-up and achieved satisfactory long-term visual outcomes and decreased burden of immunosuppressants. The incidence of steroid-induced ocular hypertension was 41.0%, and children with frequent instillation of eyedrops were at high risk. CONCLUSIONS: Most cases were of chronic uveitis and scleritis requiring long-term systemic immunosuppressive therapies in pediatric uveitis and scleritis in China. Good management of complications is important for long-term prognosis.