The Pattern of Uveitis among Chinese, Malays, and Indians in Singapore

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the pattern of uveitis among Chinese, Malays, and Indians at a tertiary referral institution in Singapore.

Methods: Charts between January 1997 and December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Charts between January 2014 and December 2014 were prospectively reviewed.

Results: A total of 1249 and 148 charts were retrospectively and prospectively reviewed, respectively. The top causes of anterior uveitis (AU) were HLA-B27, idiopathic, and CMV AU. The top known causes of intermediate uveitis were tuberculosis, primary intraocular lymphoma, and sarcoidosis. The top causes of posterior uveitis were CMV retinitis, toxoplasmosis, and dengue maculopathy. The top causes of panuveitis were VKH, idiopathic panuveitis, tuberculosis, and Behçet disease. HLA-B27 and CMV AU were more frequent among Chinese (21% vs 9% (non-Chinese); p<0.001; 10% vs 5% (non-Chinese); p<0.001, respectively). Tuberculous uveitis was more frequent among Malays and Indians (12% (non-Chinese) vs 5% (Chinese), p<0.001).

Conclusions: Different uveitis patterns were encountered among patients of different races.

Keywords: Asian; CMV; epidemiology; ethnicity; uveitis.