Introduction:

Uveitis is inflammation of the middle layer of the uveal tract. The paediatric population is at risk of chronic evolution and permanent visual loss.

Objectives:

To characterize children diagnosed with uveitis in 5 institutions in Bogotá city, evaluated by the paediatric rheumatology and ophthalmology service.

Materials and methods:

A retrospective cohort study in children with a previous uveitis diagnosis between January 2015 and January 2018 in 5 Institutions of Bogotá. An univariate and bivariate analysis of the demographic, clinical characteristics, complications, treatment, and evolution of the disease was performed.

Results:

91 patient histories were analysed. Of the patients, 51.65% were male. The average age was 8.44 years (SD 3.66 years). Bilateral presentation (63.74%), intermediate location (35.16%), and uveitis (25.27%) were more frequent. Idiopathic and infectious aetiology predominated in intermediate uveitis. Bilateral presentation was greater in intermediate uveitis and unilateral in anterior uveitis. Unilateral involvement was more frequent in idiopathic aetiology (42.1%) and bilateral in autoimmune aetiology (60%) (p = .005). Uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, corresponded to 45.2% of those secondary to autoimmunity. Infectious aetiology was more frequent in boys, while autoimmune aetiology was more frequent in girls. The most frequent infectious cause was tuberculosis in 44%. Of the children, 25.7% arrived with some complications on admission: 69.5% synechiae, 30.5% retinal detachment, and 26% glaucoma.

Conclusions:

Paediatric uveitis is an important disease in children, in our study the most frequent cause was idiopathic followed by an autoimmune disorder and infection. Almost half the patients had associated complications with a major impact on the children's lives.

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