Clinical Characteristics of Uveitis in Patients with Psoriasis in Korea: A Retrospective Multicenter Case Series

Purpose: To describe the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of uveitis in patients with psoriasis in Korea. Methods: The medical records of 20 patients (27 eyes) with psoriatic uveitis in two tertiary hospitals were retrospectivelyreviewed. We analyzed data about patient demographics, uveitis types, laterality, onset of disease, human leukocyte antigen(HLA) types, intraocular pressure, visual acuity, comorbidities, and medical treatments and outcomes for uveitis and psoriasis. Results: The cohort comprised 11 males and nine females (age of onset, 50.1 ± 13.2 years) and the mean follow-up periodwas 3.9 ± 4.0 years. Types of uveitis included anterior (85%), intermediate (10%), and panuveitis (5%). A total of 13 (65%)cases presented with unilateral involvement and 12 out of 18 patients (66.7%) were positive for HLA-B27. The average intraocularpressure of affected eyes was 11.6 ± 3.6 at the first visit and 13.8 ± 3.6 mmHg at the final visit. The average logarithmof the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity of affected eyes at the initial examination was 0.16 ± 0.52 and 0.27 ± 0.71 atthe last examination. Most common comorbidity (13 patients, 65%) was psoriatic arthritis (PsA). All cases underwent topicalcorticosteroid treatment; however, 11 (55%) required systemic corticosteroid and immunosuppressants for the treatment ofuveitis. Notable deterioration in visual outcome was found in two cases (10%) due to severe intraocular inflammation and itscomplications (uveitic glaucoma and bullous keratopathy). Recurrent uveitis was observed in 57.9% of patients. Patients withPsA tended to have higher positive rate of HLA-B27 (83.3%). However, there was no significant correlation between visualprognosis and location of psoriatic uveitis, presence of PsA, and HLA-B27 positivity. Conclusions: Psoriatic uveitis in Koreans usually presents with anterior uveitis with unilateral involvement. PsA was the mostcommon comorbidity. In majority of patients, visual outcomes are satisfactory with appropriate topical or systemic immunosuppressivetreatment.