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Ocular Immunology and Inflammation Jul 2023This review aims to provide an update on the clinical presentation, etiologies, complications, and treatment options in intermediate uveitis (IU). (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
This review aims to provide an update on the clinical presentation, etiologies, complications, and treatment options in intermediate uveitis (IU).
METHODS
Narrative literature review.
RESULTS
IU affects all age groups with no clear gender predominance and has varied etiologies including systemic illnesses and infectious diseases, or pars planitis. In some instances, IU may be the sole presentation of an underlying associated condition or disease. Management of IU and its complications include administration of corticosteroids, antimetabolites, T-cell inhibitors, and/or biologics, along with surgical interventions, with varying degrees of effectiveness across literature. In particular, increasing evidence of the safety and efficacy of immunomodulatory agents and biologics has seen greater adoption of these therapies in clinical practice.
CONCLUSIONS
IU is an anatomical description of uveitis, involving intraocular inflammation of the vitreous, peripheral retinal vasculature, and pars plana. Various treatment options for intermediate uveitis are currently used in practice.
Topics: Humans; Uveitis, Intermediate; Pars Planitis; Uveitis; Vision Disorders; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 35759636
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2022.2070503 -
Ocular Immunology and Inflammation Dec 2023To provide an overview of pediatric pars planitis. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
To provide an overview of pediatric pars planitis.
METHODS
Narrative literature review.
RESULTS
Pars planitis refers to the idiopathic subset of intermediate uveitis in which there is vitritis along with snowball or snowbank formation occurring in the absence of an associated infection or systemic disease. It is thought to be a T-cell mediated disease with a genetic predisposition. Pars planitis accounts for 5-26.7% of pediatric uveitis cases. Presentation is commonly bilateral but asymmetric, often with insidious onset of floaters and blurred vision. Although pars planitis is known to be a benign form of uveitis in most cases, severe complications secondary to chronic inflammation may arise, with cystoid macular edema being the most common cause of visual morbidity. Mild vitritis in the absence of symptoms, vision loss, or macular edema may be observed. Patients with severe vitritis and/or associated vision-threatening complications require prompt aggressive treatment. A stepladder approach including corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, anti‑tumor necrosis factor‑alpha and pars plana vitrectomy and/or laser photocoagulation is the most commonly used method for treatment of pars planitis.
CONCLUSION
Timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of pediatric pars planitis and associated complications are crucial in order to improve visual outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Child; Pars Planitis; Uveitis, Intermediate; Uveitis; Vitrectomy; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Macular Edema; Endophthalmitis; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 37976519
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2023.2279683 -
Turkish Archives of Pediatrics Jul 2023Uveitis in childhood poses a distinct challenge, mainly because of the insidious onset and chronic course of intraocular inflammation in most cases, which may result in...
Uveitis in childhood poses a distinct challenge, mainly because of the insidious onset and chronic course of intraocular inflammation in most cases, which may result in permanent visual loss due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Although anterior uveitis, frequently associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, is the most common form of ocular involvement, idiopathic intermediate uveitis (pars planitis) is also a common uveitic entity in childhood. Posterior or panuveitis of a variety of noninfectious or infectious etiologies may be seen as well. Pediatric uveitis needs to be closely monitored since serious ocular complications such as intraocular pressure elevation, cataract, and macular edema may rapidly develop due to inadequately controlled inflammation and/or the use of corticosteroids. Methotrexate is generally the first- line corticosteroid-sparing agent, and adalimumab is the first-line biologic in refractory cases of noninfectious uveitis. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to monitor systemic disease associations, treatment response, and adverse events in children with uveitis.
PubMed: 37357450
DOI: 10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2023.23086 -
Ocular Immunology and Inflammation Dec 2023To describe the long-term prevalence of ocular complications and visual prognosis in patients with pediatric uveitis.
PURPOSE
To describe the long-term prevalence of ocular complications and visual prognosis in patients with pediatric uveitis.
METHODS
Demographics, etiology and location of uveitis, type of complications, treatment and visual outcomes were recorded in 296 children at first examination and at 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 10-year time points.
RESULTS
Αnterior uveitis represented 53.4% of cases, followed by intermediate (28.0%), posterior uveitis (11.1%) and panuveitis (7.4%). The leading diagnoses were idiopathic uveitis (31.1%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (27.0%) and pars planitis (22.6%). Posterior synechiae was the most frequent complication of anterior uveitis and panuveitis, cystoid macular edema and disc edema of intermediate and posterior uveitis respectively. Posterior uveitis and panuveitis had more severe final vision loss (23.1% and 20% respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides clinical characteristics and main complications in a longitudinal long-term follow-up of a large non-infectious pediatric uveitis Greek population. Early diagnosis and close monitoring remain of fundamental importance.
Topics: Child; Humans; Retrospective Studies; Uveitis; Uveitis, Posterior; Panuveitis; Vision Disorders
PubMed: 36693268
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2022.2162422 -
Current Eye Research Jul 2024To evaluate the microvasculature during remission in patients with pars planitis (PP-IU) and multiple sclerosis-associated intermediate uveitis (MS-IU) using optical...
PURPOSE
To evaluate the microvasculature during remission in patients with pars planitis (PP-IU) and multiple sclerosis-associated intermediate uveitis (MS-IU) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A).
METHODS
Single-center, descriptive, case-control study was conducted. Adult patients (≥16 years) with IU in remission (PP-IU and MS-IU) and healthy age-sex matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled to the study. Demographic/clinical features, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), ocular findings, neurological symptoms and preferred treatments were recorded. The presence of cystoid macular edema (CME) during follow-up was recorded. All IU patients in remission and HC subjects were scanned with OCT-A. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) areas of superficial and deep capillary plexus (SCP/DCP) and vascular densities of SCP, DCP and choriocapillaris were obtained from OCT-A and compared between the groups.
RESULTS
Sixty-nine eyes of 37 IU patients in remission and 20 HC were included (44 eyes/23 patients in PP-IU, 25/14 in MS-IU, 40/20 in HC). No statistically significant differences were observed in terms of demographic or clinical characteristics of the patients. The vascular density in the SCP was significantly reduced in the PP-IU and MS-IU groups compared to the HC group ( < .05). Nevertheless, there were no significant changes in any of the OCTA parameters between the IU groups. Uveitis duration was found to be correlated with enlargement of the FAZ area in PP-IU ( = .039).
CONCLUSION
OCTA may not be useful in differentiating between PP-IU and MS-IU. Nevertheless, the primary implication in SCP potentially elucidates the pathogenesis of these two subtypes of IU, which are characterized by a shared pathogenesis. The monitoring of the FAZ area in the PP-IU group is valuable in terms of chronicity.
Topics: Humans; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Male; Female; Adult; Uveitis, Intermediate; Fluorescein Angiography; Visual Acuity; Multiple Sclerosis; Retinal Vessels; Pars Planitis; Young Adult; Middle Aged; Follow-Up Studies; Case-Control Studies; Fundus Oculi; Adolescent
PubMed: 38433455
DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2024.2323520 -
Ophthalmology and Therapy Aug 2023Scientific evidence of the effectiveness of the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor adalimumab (ADA) in pediatric patients with non-infectious non-anterior uveitis is still...
INTRODUCTION
Scientific evidence of the effectiveness of the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor adalimumab (ADA) in pediatric patients with non-infectious non-anterior uveitis is still limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic role of ADA in a cohort of pediatric patients with non-anterior uveitis.
METHODS
This is an international multicenter study analyzing real-life data referred to pediatric patients treated with ADA for intermediate uveitis/pars planitis, posterior uveitis and panuveitis. Data were drawn from the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) registry for patients with uveitis.
RESULTS
Twenty-one patients (36 affected eyes) were enrolled, and all patients benefited from ADA administration. In detail, 11 patients (19 affected eyes) did not experience further ocular inflammation after ADA introduction; 10 cases (17 affected eyes) showed a significant clinical improvement consisting of a decrease in severity and/or frequency of ocular relapses. The number of ocular flares dropped from 3.91 to 1.1 events/patient/year after ADA introduction (p = 0.0009); macular edema and retinal vasculitis were respectively observed in 18 eyes and 20 eyes at the start of ADA and in 4 eyes and 2 eyes at the last assessment. The mean daily glucocorticoid dosage significantly decreased from 26.8 ± 16.8 mg/day at the start of ADA to 6.25 ± 6.35 mg/day at the last assessment (p = 0.002). Intermediate uveitis/pars planitis (p = 0.01) and posterior uveitis (p = 0.03) were more frequently observed in patients with full response to ADA; panuveitis (p = 0.001) was significantly more frequent among patients continuing to experience uveitic flares. This could be related to a higher use of systemic glucocorticoids (p = 0.002) and conventional immunosuppressants (p = 0.007) at the start of ADA when treating intermediate uveitis/pars planitis. Regarding the safety profile, only one adverse event was reported during ADA treatment, consisting of the development of generalized adenopathy.
CONCLUSIONS
ADA proved to have an effective therapeutic role in all pediatric patients with non-anterior uveitis enrolled in the study. An overall glucocorticoid-sparing effect was observed despite the severity of cases enrolled. A more aggressive treatment of panuveitis and posterior uveitis at start of ADA could increase the likelihood of full response to therapy.
PubMed: 37166627
DOI: 10.1007/s40123-023-00712-1 -
Ocular Immunology and Inflammation May 2024To evaluate outcomes of intravenous (IV) tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with pars planitis refractory to conventional immunomodulatory therapy and anti-tumor necrosis...
PURPOSE
To evaluate outcomes of intravenous (IV) tocilizumab (TCZ) in patients with pars planitis refractory to conventional immunomodulatory therapy and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha agents.
METHODS
Medical records of eight patients diagnosed with pars planitis and treated with monthly 4 or 8 mg/kg IV TCZ were reviewed. The primary objective was to initiate and sustain remission continuously for three consecutive months. Secondary outcome measures were changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), degree of anterior chamber (AC) inflammation, vitreous cell, vitreous haze, presence of vitreous or pars plana exudates, peripheral vasculitis, fluorescein angiography (FA) score and central subfieldthickness (CST) on macular optical coherence tomography (OCT).
RESULTS
Fourteen eyes of eight patients were treated with IV TCZ. Seven patients were women. The average age was 31.35 ± 16.42 years. In 6 (75%) out of 8 patients, IV TCZ, either as monotherapy or in combination with another conventional immunomodulatory agent, induced and sustained remission. The average FA score reduced from 11.15 ± 3.52 at the baseline visit to 6.50 ± 2.12 at the one-year follow-up visit (p-value < 0.05). None of the patients experienced any side effects of IV TCZ.
CONCLUSION
IV Tocilizumab (TCZ) may represent an effective and safe treatment option for patients diagnosed with pars planitis resistant to conventional immunomodulatory therapy and anti-TNF alpha agents.
PubMed: 38781578
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2354751 -
Ocular Immunology and Inflammation Dec 2023To report demographic and clinical profiles of children with uveitis in theTurkishpopulation.
PURPOSE
To report demographic and clinical profiles of children with uveitis in theTurkishpopulation.
METHODS
The data of the pediatric uveitis cases in the nation wide uveitis database were analyzed.
RESULTS
The study included 697 eyes of 442 patients with a meanage of 10.8 ± 3.8 years. There were 333 patients (75.3%) with non-infectious uveitis and 69 patients (15.6%) with infectious uveitis. Pars planitis (20.1%) was leading clinical form followed by idiopathic cases with uveitis other than pars planitis (18.8%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA) related uveitis (12.4%), Behçet uveitis (9.3%) and toxoplasma retinochoroiditis (7.9%). Ocular involvement was unilateral in 187 patients (42.3%) and bilateral in 255 patients (57.7%). The most common anatomiclocation of uveitis was anterior uveitis (39.1%), followed by intermediate uveitis (29.4%), panuveitis (16.1%) and posterior uveitis (15.4%).
CONCLUSION
The most common systemic association was JIA in the younger children and Behçet disease in the older children.
Topics: Child; Humans; Adolescent; Pars Planitis; Turkey; Retrospective Studies; Uveitis; Behcet Syndrome; Arthritis, Juvenile; Registries
PubMed: 36083691
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2022.2110900