Uveitis and juvenile arthritis
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Correspondence to: Dr J T Rosenbaum, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, 3375 SW Terwilliger Blvd, Portland, OR 97201–4197, USA; rosenbaj{at}ohsu.edu
The many guises of uveitis associated with JIA
The inflammatory joint disease currently referred to as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) has endured many labels including Still's disease,1 juvenile chronic arthropathy,2 and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.3 From the work of Edelsten and colleagues published in this issue of the BJO (p 51), we learn that the ocular prognosis for this disease is as diverse as the names for the entity itself. Importantly, we also discover that certain clinical factors, most significantly, the severity of uveitis at onset, can help us predict prognosis.
Establishing a diagnosis is a means to an end that will guide both the physician and the patient in gauging prognosis and choosing among treatment options. But how is one to interpret a diagnosis that has a broad spectrum of outcomes? How does a clinician offer advice for a disease such as uveitis if one patient might suffer 48 hours of mild inflammation, followed by complete resolution, whereas another patient might endure 48 years of chronic inflammation and consequent blindness? Can research help recognise clues that will guide physician and …
