Article
Uveitis More Common in Women
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Noninfectious uveitis (NIU) is more prevalent among female than male adults and the number of cases increase in tandem with age, according to a recent study.
Noninfectious uveitis (NIU) is more prevalent among female than male adults and the number of cases increases in tandem with age, according to a recent study.
The paper, authored by Jennifer Thorne, MD, PhD, department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues, was published in the September issue of JAMA Ophthalmology.
Investigators analyzed OptumHealth Reporting and Insights databases, including 14 million privately insured individuals, to examine NIU prevalence in 2012. Previous studies have not separated results by uveitis etiology, rather focusing on overall prevalence. The objective of this study was to study NIU specifically and stratify by markers such as inflammation location, age, and sex.
Of the approximately four million eligible adult patients, approximately 2.1 million were women, and of the 932,260 children, 475,481 were boys. The adult prevalence of NIU was 121 cases per 100,000 persons (95% CI, 117.5-124.3). The pediatric NIU prevalence was 29 cases per 100,000 (95% CI, 26.1-33.2). Anterior NIU accounted for 81% (3904 cases) of adult NIU cases (98 per 100,000; 95% CI, 94.7-100.9) and 75% (207 cases) of pediatric NIU cases (22 per 100,000; 95% CI, 19.3-25.4).
The prevalences of noninfectious intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis were, for adults, one (95% CI, 0.8-1.5), 10 (95% CI, 9.4-11.5), and 12 (95% CI, 10.6-12.7) per 100,000, respectively, and for pediatric patients, zero (95% CI, 0.1-1.1), 3 (95% CI, 1.8-4.1), and four (95% CI, 2.9-5.6) per 100,000, respectively. The prevalence of NIU increased with age and was higher among adult females than males. Application of these estimates to the US population suggests that NIU affected approximately 298,801 American adults (95% CI, 290 512-307 324) and 21,879 children (95% CI, 19 360-24 626) in 2015.
The estimated prevalence of NIU was 121 cases per 100,000 for adults (95% CI, 117.5-124.3) and 29 per 100,000 for children (95% CI, 26.1-33.2). Prevalence was estimated using administrative claims from a commercially insured population, which may have a different prevalence than other segments of the US population. A better understanding of the prevalence of NIU will help to determine the number of patients affected.
“Our findings provide a better understanding of NIU prevalence, helping determine the number of patients who are affected specifically by the noninfectious form,” said Thorne.
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