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. 2024 Aug;38(11):2110-2116.
doi: 10.1038/s41433-024-03009-0. Epub 2024 May 15.

Clinical characteristics and aetiology of uveitis in a viral haemorrhagic fever zone

Shiama Balendra #  1   2   3   4 , Lloyd Harrison-Williams #  5 , Jalikatu Mustapha  6 , Zikan Koroma  6 , Alicious Kamara  6 , Bangi Saradugu  6 , Osman Conteh  6 , Theophilus Kanu  6 , Santigie Kamara  6 , Sheku Alhaji Koroma  6 , Matthew Vandy  6 , Laura Ward  7 , Huachun Wang  8 , Tolulope Fashina  8 , Jessica Shantha  9 , Steven Yeh  8 , Alasdair Kennedy  10   11
Affiliations

Clinical characteristics and aetiology of uveitis in a viral haemorrhagic fever zone

Shiama Balendra et al. Eye (Lond). 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Background/objectives: Studies on uveitis in Sierra Leone were conducted prior to the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic of 2013-16, which was associated with uveitis in 20% of survivors. They did not include imaging or investigation of tuberculosis and used laboratory services outside the country. We performed a cross-sectional study on patients presenting with uveitis to establish their clinical characteristics and identify the impact of in-country laboratory diagnoses.

Methods: We invited uveitis cases presenting to Eye Clinics in Sierra Leone from March to September 2022 to participate in the study. They underwent a diagnostic work-up, including fundus and ocular coherence tomography imaging. Active uveitis cases underwent further investigations including serology and immunological tests for syphilis, tuberculosis, herpetic viruses and HIV and chest radiographs.

Results: We recruited 128 patients. The median age was 34 (IQR 19) years and there was an equal gender split. Panuveitis was the predominant anatomical uveitis type (n = 51, 40%), followed by posterior uveitis (n = 36, 28%). Bilateral disease affected 40 patients (31%). Active uveitis was identified in 75 (59%) cases. ICD 11 definition of blindness with VA < 3/60 occurred in 55 (33%) uveitis eyes. Aetiology of uveitis from clinical and laboratory assessment demonstrated that most cases were of undifferentiated aetiology (n = 66, 52%), followed by toxoplasmosis (n = 46, 36%). Trauma contributed to eight (6%) cases, syphilis to 5 (4%) cases and Ebola to 2 (2%).

Conclusions: Uveitis was associated with high levels of visual impairment. Posterior and panuveitis contributed to the highest proportion of uveitis cases. Laboratory studies helped differentiate syphilis as a significant aetiology of uveitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Fundus images were taken with Zeiss Clarus 700 demonstrated ocular sequelae of uveitis.
A Right fundus photo of chronic vitritis retinal traction. B Left fundus photograph with evidence of optic disc cupping, a complication of chronic uveitis. C Right fundus photo with inferior retinal detachment and round hole. D Right fundus photograph with inactive macula chorioretinal scar.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Update of

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