| Presentation preference | Oral presentation |
| Title | Pediatric uveitis: a single-center 8-year pattern analysis in Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy. |
| Accept poster if oral is not possible ? | Yes |
| Purpose | To analyse the referral patterns and the clinical and therapeutic features of children diagnosed with uveitis in a tertiary referral center. |
| Methods | Retrospective retrieval of data incorporating all new pediatric referrals to the Immunology Ocular Unit in Reggio Emilia (Italy) from November 2015 to December 2023. |
| Results | Among the 263 patients, the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.32. Anterior uveitis was the most common (45.2%), followed by pan- (23.6%), intermediate (17.1%) and posterior (14.1%) uveitis. The most identifiable specific diagnoses were juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) (27.8%), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (8.7%) and toxoplasmosis (7.6%). Non-infectious systemic disease aetiologies were the most frequent (47.1%), followed by infectious uveitis and non infectious ocular-specific conditions (both 15.6%). Idiopathic uveitis accounted for 34.6% of cases. Fuchs uveitis presented the longest mean diagnostic delay (54 months). Immunosuppressants were administrated in 77.6% of patients. Antimetabolites, calcineurin inhibitors and biologics were prescribed in 72.1%, 5.5% and 41.8% of cases, respectively. Metotrexate, adalimumab and azathioprine were the most commonly prescribed immunosuppressants (29.3%, 26.6% and 21.7% of patients, respectively). JIA-associated uveitis is the type of uveitis most commonly associated with surgical procedures (39.7%). |
| Conclusion | The patterns of uveitis in children are different from those in adults, with idiopathic uveitis accounting for the majority of cases and infectious aetiologies being less common. Nowadays, a wide range of immunosuppressants are used for the treatment of pediatric uveitis. |
| Conflict of interest | No |
1
| Last name | GENTILE |
| Initials of first name(s) | P |
| Department | Ocular Immunology Unit - AUSL IRCCS Reggio Emilia |
| City | Reggio Emilia |
| Country | Italy |
2
| Last name | CECCARELLI |
| Initials of first name(s) | F |
| Department | Ophthalmology Unit - University of Rome "Tor Vergata" |
| City | Rome |
| Country | Italy |
3
| Last name | ALDIGERI |
| Initials of first name(s) | R |
| Department | Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma |
| City | Parma |
| Country | Italy |
4
| Last name | BOLLETTA |
| Initials of first name(s) | E |
| Department | Ocular Immunology Unit - AUSL IRCCS Reggio Emilia |
| City | Reggio Emilia |
| Country | Italy |
5
| Last name | DE SIMONE |
| Initials of first name(s) | L |
| Department | Ocular Immunology Unit - AUSL IRCCS Reggio Emilia |
| City | Reggio Emilia |
| Country | Italy |
6
| Last name | GOZZI |
| Initials of first name(s) | F |
| Department | Ocular Immunology Unit - AUSL IRCCS Reggio Emilia |
| City | Reggio Emilia |
| Country | Italy |
7
| Last name | CIMINO |
| Initials of first name(s) | L |
| Department | Ocular Immunology Unit - AUSL IRCCS Reggio Emilia |
| City | Reggio Emilia |
| Country | Italy |
