Uveitis in children: Population-based study in Finland

Purpose: To investigate the incidence and prevalence rates of different typ es of uveitis in children, and to compare them with the rates in adults. Subjects and methods: For this population-based retrospective study the med ical records of all residents of the district of Turku University Hospital with a diagnosis of uveitis seen at the Eye Clinic of Turku University Hosp ital during the years 1980-1982 and 1988 were reviewed. Results: A total of 1122 uveitis cases were identified, and 55 (4.9%) of th em were children under 16 Sears, The incidence per 100 000 population per y ear for all uveitis cases in children was 4.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] , 2.2 to 6.4), and the prevalence was 27.9 (95% CI, 17.1 to 38,6), which wa s significantly lower compared with the rates in adults (p=0.001 for incide nce and prevalence). The vast majority of children, 50 (90.9%), had anterio r uveitis (AU), and the incidence and prevalence rates of AU were significa ntly lower than in adults (p=0.001 for incidence and prevalence). Three (5. 5%) children had posterior uveitis (PU), but there was no significant diffe rence in the incidence and only marginally significant difference in the pr evalence rate of PU in children compared with the rates in adults (p=0.33 f or incidence, and p=0.07 for prevalence). Only one case (1.8%) was found wi th intermediate and one with panuveitis, but no new cases. The commonest di agnostic groups in children were AU associated with juvenile rheumatoid art hritis, idiopathic acute anterior uveitis, and idiopathic chronic anterior uveitis. Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis was found in all of the PU cases wit h the incidence 0.3, and the prevalence 1.1, which did not differ significa ntly from the rates in adults (p=1.0 for incidence, and p 0.48 for prevalen ce). Conclusion: Uveitis is rarer in children than in adults. However, in contra st to studies from tertiary referral centers, the distribution of different forms of uveitis in children in this population-based study seems to resem ble the distribution in adults.