Müşerref Kasap CÜCEOĞLU, Yasemin KAPUCU, Armağan KESKİN, Sepideh Lotfi SADIGH, Seza ÖZEN, Sibel KADAYIFÇILAR, Yelda BİLGİNER
Comprehensive Medicine - 2026;18(3):251-258
Objective: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitis (JIA-U) is the leading cause of non-infectious chronic uveitis in children. Early detection and prevention of vision-threatening complications remain the cornerstones of management. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the distribution and clinical characteristics of uveitis across JIA subtypes, identify the predominant treatment modalities, and determine the risk factors for recurrence. Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients with JIA-U followed at our center were retrospectively reviewed between January 2017 and March 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics, JIA subtypes, treatments, frequency of recurrence, structural ocular complications related to uveitis, and interventions were evaluated. Results: A total of 81 eyes (29 bilateral, 14 left, and 9 right) of 52 patients (34 female, 65.4%) were assessed. Thirty-nine (75%) patients had oligoarticular JIA, 6 (11.5%) had enthesitis-related arthritis, 4 (7%) had polyarticular JIA, and 3 (5.7%) had psoriatic arthritis. Anterior uveitis was the most common anatomical type (73 eyes; 90.1%). Conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARDs) were administered to 46 patients (88.5%), while biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) were used in 37 (71.2%) of 52 patients. Eighteen (34.6%) patients had ocular complications. Recurrence was observed in 40 (76.9%) patients. Female sex was found to be a predictive factor for recurrence in multivariate regression analysis (OR 7.716, 95% CI 1.667-35.712, p=0.009). Conclusion: Chronic anterior uveitis is the most common anatomical presentation in JIA-U. Oligoarticular JIA, RF-negative polyarticular JIA, enthesitis-related arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis are the JIA subtypes associated with JIA-U. Female sex is a risk factor for recurrence, and bDMARDs play an important role in the management of recurrent and refractory JIA-U.
