Prevalence of rheumatological disease in patients presenting with uveitis

Background: Uveitis may occur in the course of systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, or it may be the first clinical presentation of these diseases. Objective: To determine the prevalence of systemic inflammatory rheumatic disease in patients whose initial clinical manifestation is non-infectious uveitis. Methods: Adult patients diagnosed with non-infectious uveitis in Dokuz Eylul University Ophthalmology Department and referred to investigate the etiology of rheumatological disease were included in the study. Demographic and clinical features, laboratory and imaging findings of the patients were examined. Results: 106 patients diagnosed with uveitis (42.4% anterior uveitis, 2.8% intermediate uveitis, 19.8% posterior uveitis, 34.9% panuveitis) were included in the study. 52.8% of the patients were male and the mean age was 40.19±14.82 years. The mean age of uveitis attack was 38.7±15.02 years. 33% of the patients were diagnosed with rheumatologic disease (10 SpA, 17 Behçet's Disease, two vasculitis, two sarcoidosis, three undifferentiated connective tissue disease, one juvenile idiopathic arthritis). SpA was diagnosed in 20% of patients presenting with anterior uveitis. Behçet's disease was detected in 27% of patients referred with panuveitis and in 33.3% of patients whose first clinical finding was posterior chamber involvement. Bilateral uveitis was detected in two-thirds of patients with posterior chamber affected, and it tends to recur more (p=0.014). Conclusion: A rheumatological disease was detected in approximately one third of the patients presenting with uveitis. Investigation of patients referred for uveitis in terms of systemic rheumatological diseases is very important as it may change the diagnosis and treatment process.