Mitkova-Hristova Vesela Todorova, Atanassov Marin Anguelov
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Life (Basel). 2025 May 30;15(6):882. doi: 10.3390/life15060882.
Uveitis encompasses a broad group of diseases with infectious and non-infectious etiologies, potentially leading to permanent and irreversible visual impairment. This study aimed to determine whether the etiology and anatomical location of uveitis influence the course and laterality of the disease.
This retrospective observational study included patients with uveitis treated at the University Eye Clinic of "St. George" University Hospital in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, between January 2011 and December 2023. All participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination and minimal laboratory screening, with additional tests and specialist consultations performed when necessary. Uveitis cases were categorized into anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis according to anatomical location; unilateral or bilateral according to laterality; and acute, chronic, or recurrent based on disease course.
The study included 606 patients aged between 3 and 87 years. The etiology and anatomical location of uveitis were significantly associated with the course and laterality of the disease ( < 0.001). Anterior and posterior uveitis were mostly unilateral, with a defined cause and characterized by acute or recurring progression. Intermediate uveitis was mostly idiopathic and chronic, while panuveitis had a more uniform distribution regarding disease progression. Among cases with a determined etiology, -associated uveitis was the most common (32.5%), characterized by sequential involvement of both eyes and a recurrent course. Viral and toxoplasmic uveitis were more frequently unilateral.
Our findings indicate that the etiology and anatomical location of uveitis can serve as prognostic factors for contralateral eye involvement and the progression of the inflammatory process. We found that anterior and posterior uveitis were predominantly unilateral and typically presented with an acute or recurrent course, whereas intermediate uveitis and panuveitis were more commonly chronic. In men, uveitis more often had an acute onset, while in women, it tended to follow a chronic course.
葡萄膜炎涵盖了一大类具有感染性和非感染性病因的疾病，可能导致永久性和不可逆转的视力损害。本研究旨在确定葡萄膜炎的病因和解剖位置是否会影响疾病的病程和病变侧别。
这项回顾性观察研究纳入了2011年1月至2023年12月期间在保加利亚普罗夫迪夫“圣乔治”大学医院眼科诊所接受治疗的葡萄膜炎患者。所有参与者均接受了全面的眼部检查和最低限度的实验室筛查，必要时进行了额外的检查和专家会诊。葡萄膜炎病例根据解剖位置分为前葡萄膜炎、中间葡萄膜炎、后葡萄膜炎和全葡萄膜炎；根据病变侧别分为单侧或双侧；根据病程分为急性、慢性或复发性。
该研究纳入了606例年龄在3至87岁之间的患者。葡萄膜炎的病因和解剖位置与疾病的病程和病变侧别显著相关（<0.001）。前葡萄膜炎和后葡萄膜炎大多为单侧，病因明确，以急性或复发进展为特征。中间葡萄膜炎大多为特发性且为慢性，而全葡萄膜炎在疾病进展方面分布更为均匀。在病因明确的病例中，与[具体病因]相关的葡萄膜炎最为常见（32.5%），其特征是双眼先后受累且病程复发。病毒和弓形虫性葡萄膜炎更常为单侧。
我们的研究结果表明，葡萄膜炎的病因和解剖位置可作为对侧眼受累和炎症过程进展的预后因素。我们发现，前葡萄膜炎和后葡萄膜炎主要为单侧，通常表现为急性或复发病程，而中间葡萄膜炎和全葡萄膜炎更常见为慢性。男性葡萄膜炎更常急性起病，而女性则倾向于慢性病程。
