Clinical Course and Outcomes of Pediatric Tubercular Uveitis in North India.

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical features, course, management, and outcomes of tubercular (TB) uveitis in the pediatric population and assess the response to anti-tubercular therapy (ATT).

METHODS

Hospital records of children (≤16 years) from a large tertiary-care institute between January 2001 and December 2015 were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 32 children (mean age: 10.7 ± 4.27 years; range 2-16) were diagnosed with TB-associated uveitis. The most common presentation was posterior uveitis (n = 14, 43.75%) and panuveitis (n = 14, 43.75%), followed by intermediate uveitis (n = 2, 6.25%) and anterior uveitis (n = 2, 6.25%); 14 children had probable intraocular tuberculosis (IOTB) (43.75%) and 17 (53.13%) had possible IOTB. Despite ATT and corticosteroids, 29.63% patients showed suboptimal response or worsening of disease requiring additional immunosuppression.

CONCLUSIONS

TB is an important cause of pediatric uveitis in endemic countries. The manifestations of the disease resemble adult TB-related uveitis. However, higher inflammatory response in children may require more aggressive therapy with corticosteroids/immunosuppression.