Prognostic Factors in Syphilitic Uveitis.

PURPOSE: To identify predictors of treatment success in syphilitic uveitis (SU).

DESIGN

Retrospective multicentric analysis of patients treated for SU.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 95 eyes (66 patients, mean [standard deviation] aged 49 [12.5] years, 31 [47%] of whom were human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]+) were analyzed.

METHODS

Activity of SU was assessed at 1 week and 1 month after treatment onset, and at last follow-up. Improvement was defined by a ≥2-step decrease of both anterior chamber and vitreous haze inflammation levels, and by the size reduction in chorioretinal lesions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recovery was defined as the resolution of inflammation in all anatomic structures at 1 month.

RESULTS

Panuveitis and posterior uveitis were the most frequent findings. Inflammatory parameters were higher in HIV+ patients. Recovery was reported in 65% and 85% of eyes at 1 month and at last follow-up, respectively. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for initial best-corrected visual acuity and the antimicrobial treatment regimen, clinical improvement at 1 week (corrected risk ratios [cRR], 3.5 [2.3-3.8]; P = 0.001) was predictive of recovery at 1 month, whereas the use of periocular dexamethasone injections (cRR, 0.05 [0.02-0.6]; P = 0.01) and methylprednisolone pulses negatively affected the outcomes of eyes.

CONCLUSIONS

Early improvement is the strongest predictor of ophthalmological recovery in SU.