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. 2025 Aug 18:19:2813-2820.
doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S529421. eCollection 2025.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Li Li  1 , Jun-Mei Zhang  1 , Jiang-Hong Deng  1 , Wei-Ying Kuang  1 , Xiao-Hua Tan  1 , Chao Li  1 , Shi-Peng Li  1 , Cai-Feng Li  1
Affiliations

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Li Li et al. Clin Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the clinical features, risk factors, and outcomes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis (JIA-U), aiming to improve early detection and management strategies.

Methods: This study conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of JIA patients diagnosed and treated at the Department of Rheumatology at Beijing Children's Hospital (2016-2023), with subgroup evaluation of JIA-U cases.

Results: Among 1494 JIA patients, 72 (4.82%) developed uveitis. The oligoarticular subtype (OJIA, 47.2%) and enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA, 27.8%) predominated. Uveitis onset occurred at a median of 10 months post-arthritis diagnosis (range: 0-86 months), with 93% manifesting within 4 years. Chronic anterior uveitis was the most frequent phenotype. ANA positivity and HLA-B27 were significantly associated uveitis. First-line acute management involved topical corticosteroids, with methotrexate escalation for severe cases and TNF-α inhibitors (adalimumab preferred) for refractory disease. Ocular complications arose in 25.9% during follow-up.

Conclusion: Uveitis, often bilateral and insidious, is a common extra-articular manifestation of JIA. Absent arthritis signs may delay diagnosis, highlighting the need for regular screening and close rheumatology-ophthalmology collaboration to optimize outcomes.

Keywords: clinical manifestations; juvenile idiopathic arthritis; prognosis; treatment; uveitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ocular manifestations and complications in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis. (A and B) Irregular pupil shape, iris synechiae, and visible flare/secretion in the anterior chamber under slit lamp examination. (C) Glaucoma. (D) Cataract.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The JADAS27 score during follow-up of juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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