Epidemiology, clinical features, and classification of 3,404 patients with uveitis: Colombian Uveitis Multicenter Study (COL-UVEA)

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the epidemiology, clinical features, and classification of uveitis in a large cohort of Colombian patients.

Methods: Data were collected from seven ophthalmological referral centers in the four main cities in Colombia. The study included patients with a confirmed diagnosis of uveitis from January 2010 to December 2022. Information on demographics, ophthalmic examination findings, uveitis classification, and etiology was recorded.

Results: The study reviewed 3,404 clinical records of patients with uveitis. The mean age at diagnosis was 41.1 (SD 19.0) years, and 54.2% of the patients were female. Overall, 1,341(39.4%) were infectious, 626 (18.4%) non-infectious, and four masquerade syndromes (0.1%). The most common types of uveitis were unilateral (66.7%), acute (48.3%), and non-granulomatous (83%). Anterior uveitis was the most common anatomical localization (49.5%), followed by posterior uveitis (22.9%), panuveitis (22.3%), and intermediate uveitis (5.2%). A diagnosis was established in 3,252 (95.5%) cases; idiopathic was the most common cause (27.7%), followed by toxoplasmosis (25.3%) and virus-associated uveitis (6.4%). The age group between 30 and 50 exhibited the highest frequency of uveitis.

Conclusion: This multicenter study comprehensively describes uveitis characteristics in Colombian patients, providing valuable insights into its demographic and clinical features. The study findings emphasize the need to continue updating the changing patterns of uveitis to improve diagnosis and treatment strategies for diseases associated with intraocular inflammation.

Keywords: Classification; Colombia; Epidemiology; Toxoplasmosis; Uveitis.

Fig. 1

Age distribution of the patients with uveitis in Colombia

Fig. 2

Most common etiologies and ages of onset and diagnosis among the geographical areas covered. Colombian geographical map is divided by departments; yellow represents the areas covered by Medellín centers, orange areas covered by Cali’s centers, green areas covered by Bucaramanga’s centers, and aquamarine areas covered by Bogotá centers. Departments in white are areas where these centers usually do not have coverage. Distribution of main etiologies of uveitis across the different regions