Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome in children compared to adults

Purpose: To study the course and visual outcome of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VK H) syndrome in children. Methods: The medical records of 97 consecutive patients with VKH syndrome w ere reviewed. Patients had been seen at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The records were divided into two groups: those i n whom the onset of the disease occurred at the age of 14 years or younger (pediatric group) and those in whom the disease manifested after the age of 14 years (adult group). Results: Eight (61%) of the 13 children required cataract surgery compared to 14 (17%) of 84 adult patients. Despite medical and surgical therapy, eig ht (61%) of the pediatric group had a final visual acuity of 20/200 or wors e compared with 22 (26%) of the 84 adult patients (p=0.0103). Conclusion: The course of early-onset VKH (before the age of 14 years) appe ars to be aggressive. The ocular complications are more severe in children than in adults, leading to rapid deterioration in vision. Despite therapy, the final visual outcome of VKH in children is poor.