Prevalence, Risk Factors, Characteristics andComplications of Uveitis in a Swedish Cohort ofChildren with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

IntroductionChildren with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are at risk of developing sight threatening JIAassociated uveitis (JIA-U). Swedish children with JIA are included in an ophthalmologicalscreening program, based on European studies, to ensure early detection and treatment of JIAU.AimThe aim of this study was to describe the prevalence, risk factors, clinical characteristics andassociated ocular complications of JIA-U and pharmacological therapy in a cohort of Swedishchildren with JIA. MethodsThe study was conducted as a retrospective review of medical records of children with JIAtreated at Örebro University Hospital, Sweden in 2010-2019, with a minimum of one year ofophthalmological follow-up.ResultsMedical records of 200 children with JIA were reviewed, of which 96 children were includedin the study. Uveitis was detected in 21/92 (22.8%) children. Boys developed uveitisproportionally more often than girls. JIA-U onset within the first four years after JIA diagnosisoccurred in 52.4% and onset occurred later in boys than in girls (p = 0.019). Oligoarthritis wasthe only significant risk factor for uveitis development (OR 3.111, 95% CI 1.029-9.409, p =0.044). Uveitis associated complications occurred in 7/21 (33.3%) children. ConclusionIn this regional cohort study, we found a higher prevalence of JIA-U, a higher proportion ofboys developing uveitis and a lower portion of children developing uveitis within the four yearsof high frequency screening compared to recent Swedish respectively European studies. Ourfindings indicated the need of future Swedish studies to revise and optimize the currentSwedish guidelines for ophthalmological JIA-U screening