Abstract
Abstract Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common childhood rheumatic disease. The development of associated uveitis represents a significant risk for serious complications, including permanent loss of vision. Initiation of early treatment is important for controlling JIA-uveitis, but the disease can appear asymptomatically, making frequent screening procedures necessary for patients at risk. As our understanding of pathogenic drivers is currently incomplete, it is difficult to assess which JIA patients are at risk of developing uveitis. In the present study, we described the prevalence and clinical profile of JIA-associated uveitis and out come among children in the Libyan clinical settings. Methods: A total of 90 JIA patients who fulfilled International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) diagnostic criteria were included in this retrospective study. The data collected were age, gender, age at disease onset and at diagnosis, and follow-up duration. Duration from JIA diagnosis to uveitis diagnosis. Antinuclear antibody (ANA), rheumatoid factor (RF), and human leukocyte antigen B-27 were evaluated for each patient. Results: A total of eight uveitis cases were identified among the 90 JIA cases, which gives a prevalence of 8.9%. All cases were females (100.0%), the majority were Libyans (87.5%), and their mean age was 12.3 (SD=4.3) years old. The mean age at JIA onset for this group was 5.3(SD=2.3) years old and that for JIA diagnosis 6.2 (SD=2.6) years old, with an average duration of JIA of 6.8 (SD=3.7) years. The most common JIA subtype in this group was oligoarthritis (50%), followed by poly arthritis (37.5%). The majority of the cases had a negative rheumatoid factor test (75%), and ANA was positive only in 1 of 7 valid cases (14.3%). Conclusion: Better recognition of uveitis in JIA is required to improve its outcome and avoid serious complications