Survey on the Causes of Uveitis Recurrence

  Objective  To analyze the causes of uveitis recurrence with an attempt to improve uveitis management.

  Methods  Totally 99 patients with uveitis recurrence from July 2011 to September 2011 in uveitis clinic of Peking Union Medical College Hospital received a questionnaire-based survey on the potential causes of the relapses.

  Results  Among these 99 patients with uveitis recurrence, the causes of relapses were found in 92 patients (92.9%), and 70.7% patients had two or more causes. And the relapse was associated with the withdrawal or switching of glucocorticoids or immunosuppressive agents in 53.5% patients, particularly among those with Behcet's disease (71.9%) or Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (77.8%). The recurrence was also found to be related with fatigue (37.4%), biological clock disorder (24.2%), systemic diseases (22.2%), and mood swings (22.2%). Other factors included constipation (12.1%), climate and geographical changes (8.1%), improper diets (7.1%), and excessive alcohol and tobacco use (6.1%). The cause was unclear in 7 patients (7.1%).

  Conclusions  During the treatment of uveitis, inappropriate medication, fatigue, biological clock disorder, other diseases, and mood swings may trigger its recurrence.