Adult anterior uveitis - Etiology, clinical characteristics, complications, and visual prognosis in Finland.
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Topic of the dissertation
Adult anterior uveitis - Etiology, clinical characteristics, complications, and visual prognosis in Finland.
Doctoral candidate
Licentiate of Medicine Aada Leino
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Medicine, Research Unit of Clinical Medicine
Subject of study
Medicine
Opponent
Professor Eija Vesti, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital
Custos
Professor Nina Hautala, University of Oulu, Oulu University Hospital
Adult anterior uveitis – etiology, clinical characteristics, complications, and visual prognosis.
Uveitis is an inflammation of the vascular layer of the eye. Adult anterior uveitis (AU) is usually an acute and symptomatic inflammation of the iris, i.e., iritis. Typically, AU affects individuals in their working age, between 20 and 40 years. Inflammation can be caused by pathogens, systemic diseases, ocular trauma or ocular surgery. Corticosteroids are almost always used as a treatment. However, some patients develop chronic or recurrent disease, which requires more complex treatment strategies. Multiple ocular complications have been associated with AU, with cataract and glaucoma being the most common ones. Modern treatment strategies are effective preserving visual acuity, blindness is rare in patients with AU.
We studied adult AU patients followed-up at Oulu University Hospital (OYS) in 2009. The aim of the first paper was to study the effect of etiology on the clinical characteristics and complications of AU. Differences between the etiological groups were noted. In particular, systemic disease-associated AU differed from others by presenting younger age at the onset of uveitis and requiring multiple treatments.
The aim of the second paper was to study the impact of a long-known predisposing factor, HLA-B27, on the clinical characteristics of AU. Patients with HLA-B27-associated AU had a younger age at onset, more inflammatory episodes, and associated systemic diseases were more common.
The aim of the third paper was to study complications, visual prognosis, and risk factors for the development of complications in AU. We noted that a significant proportion—two out of five uveitic eyes — developed at least one complication during long-term follow-up. The increased risk of developing complications was associated with a chronic course of the disease and several different treatment options such as oral corticosteroids. To our knowledge, for the first time a connection between increased risk of complication development beyond glaucoma was noted with corticosteroid response. It should be noted that blindness with current modern treatment strategies is rare, regardless of etiology or complications, in the Northern Finnish population with anterior uveitis.
We studied adult AU patients followed-up at Oulu University Hospital (OYS) in 2009. The aim of the first paper was to study the effect of etiology on the clinical characteristics and complications of AU. Differences between the etiological groups were noted. In particular, systemic disease-associated AU differed from others by presenting younger age at the onset of uveitis and requiring multiple treatments.
The aim of the second paper was to study the impact of a long-known predisposing factor, HLA-B27, on the clinical characteristics of AU. Patients with HLA-B27-associated AU had a younger age at onset, more inflammatory episodes, and associated systemic diseases were more common.
The aim of the third paper was to study complications, visual prognosis, and risk factors for the development of complications in AU. We noted that a significant proportion—two out of five uveitic eyes — developed at least one complication during long-term follow-up. The increased risk of developing complications was associated with a chronic course of the disease and several different treatment options such as oral corticosteroids. To our knowledge, for the first time a connection between increased risk of complication development beyond glaucoma was noted with corticosteroid response. It should be noted that blindness with current modern treatment strategies is rare, regardless of etiology or complications, in the Northern Finnish population with anterior uveitis.
Last updated: 25.9.2025