The spectrum of paediatric uveitis in New Zealand.

AIMS: To describe the aetiology, complications, treatment and outcomes of paediatric uveitis.

METHODS

This was a retrospective chart review including all paediatric participants presenting with uveitis to a tertiary referral hospital in Auckland, New Zealand between January 1997 and March 2020.

RESULTS

Two hundred and twenty-four eyes of 143 participants were included. One hundred and three (46.0%) eyes were found to have uveitis without the child reporting any symptoms. Non-infectious uveitis occurred in 97 (67.8%) participants and infectious aetiology occurred in 46 (32.2%) participants. One hundred and twenty-six (56.3%) eyes developed complications by final follow-up, including ocular hypertension (60 eyes, 26.8%), cataract (55 eyes, 24.6%) and glaucoma (21 eyes, 9.4%). Conventional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were required in 58 (59.8%) participants, and biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in 31 (32.0%) participants with non-infectious uveitis. Participants who were younger at presentation were more likely to require a DMARD (OR 0.896 p=0.032). Vision loss of 6/15 or worse occurred in 38 (17.0%) eyes.

CONCLUSIONS

Infections are an important cause of uveitis in this age group. Asymptomatic presentation and complications commonly occur. A large proportion of children with non-infectious uveitis will require steroid sparing immunosuppression.