Retrospective evaluation of patients diagnosed withchildhood uveit

This thesis study aimed to determine the underlying primary diagnosis and evaluate the treatment response in non-infection-related uveitis patients who were followed up in our clinic for a period of ten years (2010-2020). 93 patients under 18 years of age who were followed up with the diagnosis of non-infection-related uveitis were included in the study. The data of the patients were scanned retrospectively. The first and last examination findings of the patients were recorded. According to the biomicroscopic examinations, the patients' states were classified as remission, inactive, and active. The clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, family histories of the patients, and the drugs used during the disease were examined. 45 (48.4%) of the patients were male and 48 (51.6%) were female. The age at diagnosis of childhood uveitis was found to be 10 years. Of the patients followed up with uveitis, 51 (54.8%) were diagnosed as idiopathic uveitis, 31 (33.4%) as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and 11 (11.3%) as Behçet's disease. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis was the most common systemic disease in the patient group. ANA test of 30 (33.3%) of the patients was found to be positive. 36 (38.7%) of the patients were anterior, 20 (21.50%) of the patients were intermediate, 11 (11.8%) were posterior and 26 (28%) were panuveitis. Anti-TNFα agents were administered to patients with a high risk of vision loss and unresponsiveness to immunosuppressive therapy. Among the anti-TNFα agents, infliximab and adalimumab were the most used treatment options. At admission, the most common ocular complication was posterior synechiae (16.1%), while the most common ocular complication developed during follow-up was glaucoma (41.9%). Early diagnosis and treatment aim to minimize intraocular inflammation and avoid complications that cause vision loss. For this reason, it is important to ensure that ophthalmological examinations are performed at regular intervals in patients with rheumatologic involvement. Ophthalmologists need to collaborate with pediatric rheumatologists to identify the underlying pathology in childhood uveitis. Keywords: uveitis, Behcet, arthritis