Pattern of uveitis in a referral centre in Tunisia, North Africa

Abstract

Aim: To analyse the pattern of uveitis in a referral centre in Tunisia, North Africa.

Methods: The study included 472 patients with uveitis examined at the Department of Ophthalmology of Monastir (Tunisia) from January 1992 to August 2003. All patients had a comprehensive ocular and systemic history, including an extensive review of medical systems. Complete ophthalmic examination was performed in all cases, including best-corrected Snellen visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, applanation tonometry, and dilated fundus examination with three-mirror lens. Standard diagnostic criteria were employed for all syndromes or entities of uveitis.

Results: The mean age at onset of uveitis was 34 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.1. Uveitis was unilateral in 282 patients (59.7%) and bilateral in 190 patients (40.3%). Anterior uveitis was most common (166 patients; 35.2%), followed by posterior uveitis (133 patients; 28.2%), panuveitis (100 patients; 21.2%), and intermediate uveitis (73 patients; 15.5%). A specific diagnosis was found in 306 patients (64.8%). The most common cause of anterior uveitis was herpetic uveitis (56 patients; 33.7%). Toxoplasmosis was the most frequent cause of posterior uveitis (51 patients; 38.3%). Intermediate uveitis was most commonly idiopathic (63 patients; 86.3%). Behçet's disease was the most common cause of panuveitis (36 patients; 36%), followed by Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease (15 patients; 15%). A total of 16 patients (3.4%) suffered from blindness, and 59 (12.5%) from uniocular blindness.

Conclusions: In a hospital population in Tunisia, the most common causes of uveitis were Behçet's disease, herpes simplex infection, toxoplasmosis, and VKH disease.