Outcomes of non-infectious Paediatric uveitis in the era of biologic therapy

Abstract Background There is a paucity of data on the ocular outcomes in paediatric non-infectious uveitis since the introduction of the biologic agents. The purpose of this study was to outline the clinical characteristics of children with non-infectious uveitis and determine the visual outcomes and ocular complication rates in the modern era. Methods Children with non-infectious uveitis from January 2011 to December 2015 were identified. Data was collected at baseline, 1, 3, 5, and 10 years post diagnosis. The incidence rates of visual impairment, structural ocular complications and surgical intervention were calculated. Using logistic regression the association between various baseline characteristics and later visual impairment was investigated. Results Of the 166 children, 60.2% (n = 100) had a systemic disease association. 72.9% (n = 121) children received methotrexate, 58 children progressed to a biologic. The incidence rates of visual acuity loss to > 0.3 LogMAR (6/12) and to ≥1.0 LogMAR (6/60) were 0.05/Eye Year (EY) and 0.01/EY, respectively. Visual outcomes in the Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis associated Uveitis (JIA-U) and Idiopathic Uveitis cohorts were not statistically significant. Of the 293 affected eyes, posterior synechiae was the predominant complication on presentation, while cataract had the highest incidence rate (0.05/EY). On direct comparison, children with JIA-U were statistically significantly more likely to develop glaucoma while children with Idiopathic Uveitis were statistically significantly more likely to develop macular oedema. Conclusion One third of children received a biological therapy, reflecting increasing utilisation and importance of biological agents in the management of inflammatory conditions. Rates of visual impairment and ocular complications are an improvement on previously published data

Use of adalimumab in refractory non-infectious childhood chronic uveitis: efficacy in ocular disease--a case cohort interventional study

Objective. To assess the use of adalimumab in the treatment of refractory non-infectious childhood chronic uveitis.Methods. A case cohort interventional study was performed on patients with uveitis, who were treated with adalimumab after failure of treatment with a combination of corticosteroids and another immunosuppressant drug. Main outcome measures were (i) stability of vision, (ii) stability of inflammation and (iii) reduction of immunosuppressive load. Adverse events and reasons for stopping adalimumab were noted.Results. Seventeen patients from a single regional centre were included in the study. Nine patients had previously received an anti-TNF agent, and because of inefficacy, all were changed to adalimumab. At 12 months, fewer patients had visual acuity worse than LogMAR 0.4 (18% vs 32% at baseline). Using standardized uveitis nomenclature criteria, at 3 months, 50% of the patients eyes (n = 32) had improved, 16% had stable inflammation and 3% had worsened, whereas 31% were maintained with no anterior chamber cells. Six patients required courses of oral steroids for uveitis. Seven patients received intra- or periocular injections of steroids. Adalimumab treatment was interrupted in one patient because of varicella zoster infection. It was stopped in three patients. Seven (41%) patients reported injection site reactions.Conclusion. In this group of children with refractory uveitis, use of adalimumab was associated with improvement in visual acuity and improving or stable ocular inflammation. However, it did not completely obviate the need for systemic or periocular steroid treatment. Prospective randomized controlled trials are required to help determine which subset of patients may benefit from adalimumab and the duration of treatment