Prevalence, incidence and epidemiology of childhood uveitis

PURPOSE: To analyse the prevalence, incidence and aetiology of paediatric uveitis. METHODS: A retrospective, population-based cohort study of Finnish children with uveitis in Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District in 2008-2017. The data included parameters for age, gender, age at diagnosis, laterality, chronicity, anatomical distribution of the disease, aetiology and systemic association. RESULTS: One hundred fifty patients aged <16 years (mean age 6.9 ± 3.9 years) with uveitis were included, out of whom 53% were girls. The first uveitis episode occurred at 1-6 years in 59%, and 62% of them were girls. In the age group of 7-15 years, boys were diagnosed with uveitis more frequently than girls (61% versus 39%, respectively). Seventy percent of the girls were diagnosed with their first uveitis episode at the age of 1-6 years, whereas only 48% of the boys were diagnosed at that age. The prevalence of uveitis increased from 64/100 000 children <16 years in 2008 (95% CI, 47.7-84.2) to 106/100 000 in 2017 (95% CI, 84.6-130.2). The incidence of childhood uveitis in 2008-2017 was 14/100 000 person-years in children <16 years (95% CI, 11.3-16.5). Eighty-seven percent of the cases were non-infectious, 9% were infectious, and 3% had masquerade syndromes. Sixty-one percent of patients had juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of paediatric uveitis has increased during the last decade in both genders. Uveitis is more frequent in girls, and they were diagnosed at a younger age than boys. Idiopathic cases and JIA accounted for a majority of aetiological features.