Findings from a recent cohort study published in JAMA Network Open suggest that paediatric patients with uveitis are at significant risk of cataract development. The study used data from the international TriNetX database and compared 22,687 paediatric patients under 18 with uveitis to an equal number of propensity-matched controls without uveitis. The results revealed a considerably higher risk of cataracts in those with uveitis, persisting over a follow-up period of up to 20 years.
In the study, paediatric patients with uveitis had a markedly increased risk (HR, 17.17; 95% CI, 12.90–22.80) compared to those without the condition. This elevated risk was consistent across different age groups: 0 to 6 years (HR, 19.09; 95% CI, 10.10–36.00), 7 to 12 years (HR, 27.16; 95% CI, 15.59–47.20), and 13 to 18 years (HR, 13.39; 95% CI, 8.84–20.30). Both male (HR, 11.97; 95% CI, 8.47–16.91) and female (HR, 13.76; 95% CI, 9.60–19.71) patients were affected, with significant risks noted across Asian (HR, 13.80; 95% CI, 3.28–58.07), Black or African American (HR, 10.41; 95% CI, 5.60–19.36), and White (HR, 15.82; 95% CI, 11.05-22.60) populations.
Cataract risk was also found to increase among patients with and without histories of immunosuppressive therapy (with: HR, 26.52 [95% CI, 16.75–41.90]; without: HR, 17.69 [95% CI: 11.39-27.40]), steroid eye drop use (with: HR, 29.51 [95% CI, 14.56–59.70]; without: HR, 16.49 [95% CI, 11.92–22.70]), and intraocular procedures (with: HR, 11.07 [95% CI, 4.42–27.71]; without: HR, 14.09 [95% CI, 10.11–20.70]).
The results of this study indicate that paediatric patients with uveitis have an increased risk of developing cataracts, highlighting the need for regular monitoring for cataract formation in these patients.
Disclosure: This article was created by the touchOPHTHALMOLOGY team utilizing AI as an editorial tool (ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat.) The content was developed and edited by human editors. No funding was received in the publication of this article.
