To investigate the clinical features of Korean patients with sarcoid uveitis.
MethodsThe medical records of patients with endogenous uveitis who were recruited from the uveitis clinic at Seoul National University Hospital were reviewed. Sex, age at presentation, ocular symptoms and signs, treatment, complications, and the rate of recurrence were analyzed.
ResultsOf 440 patients with endogenous uveitis, 31 (7.1%) with sarcoidosis were included. The mean age at onset was 54.5 years. Sarcoidosis patients with uveitis tended to be older than those without uveitis (44.1 years). Uveitis was the primary manifestation of sarcoidosis in 16 of 31 patients (51.6%). Anterior uveitis was the most common in terms of the anatomic location of inflammation (54.8%), and posterior involvement (38.7%) was not rare. Systemic corticosteroid therapy was administered to 28 patients (90.3%). Five patients (16.1%) received corticosteroids combined with immunosuppressive agents.
ConclusionsSarcoid uveitis is not a rare etiology of endogenous uveitis. Topical or systemic corticosteroids could control inflammation in most cases, but immunosuppressive agents are needed in a small percentage of patients. Steroids combined with immunosuppressive agents can prevent severe visual losses in such patients.