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Epidemiology of uveitis in Japan: a 2016 retrospective nationwide survey - Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology

  • ️Goto, Hiroshi
  • ️Thu Mar 11 2021

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the epidemiology of uveitis in Japan and assess its changes over time.

Study design

Retrospective multicenter study

Methods

Sixty-six hospitals in Japan with uveitis specialty clinics participated in this retrospective nationwide survey. A questionnaire was sent to each hospital to survey the total number of patients who made a first visit to the outpatient uveitis clinic of each hospital between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017. The diagnosis of uveitis was based on guidelines when available or on commonly used diagnostic criteria.

Results

In 2016, new patients with uveitis accounted for 3.2% of the total number of new patients with ophthalmic diseases. A total of 5378 patients were enrolled in the survey; 3408 cases could be classified with a specific uveitis entity, and 1970 cases were described as unclassified intraocular inflammation. Among the classified cases, the most frequent disease was sarcoidosis (10.6%), followed by Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (8.1%), herpetic iritis (6.5%), acute anterior uveitis (5.5%), sclerouveitis (4.4%), Behçet’s disease (4.2%), malignant disease (2.6%), acute retinal necrosis (1.7%), Posner–Schlossman syndrome (1.7%), and diabetic iritis (1.4%). The rates of sarcoidosis, Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease, and Behçet’s disease were similar; however, the rate of herpes iritis increased (4.2–6.5%) when compared with the 2009 survey.

Conclusions

Some changes were observed between the previous nationwide surveys (2002 and 2009) and the present survey. It must be valuable to continue such nationwide epidemiologic surveys at regular intervals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the institutions that participated in this survey: Hokkaido University, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Sapporo Medical University, Hirosaki University, Yamagata University, Tohoku University, Tsukuba University, National Defense Medical College, JCHO Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, Jikei University School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, Juntendo University Nerima Hospital, Kyorin University, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Nihon University, Nippon Medical School, Showa University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo Women’s Medical University Yachiyo Medical Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Teikyo University School of Medicine (University Hospital Mizonokuchi), The University of Tokyo, Yokohama City University, Niigata University, Shinshu University, Matsumoto Dental University, Gifu University, Gunma University, Jichi Medical University, Dokkyo Medical University, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital, Nagoya University, Nagoya City University, University of Toyama, Kanazawa University, University of Fukui, Shiga University of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka City University, Japan Community Health Care Organization Osaka Hospital, Yodogawa Christian Hospital, Wakayama Medical University, Kobe University, Hyogo College of Medicine, Okayama University, Kawasaki Medical School, Tottori University, Shimane University, Hiroshima University, Yamaguchi University, Tokushima University, Ehime University, Kochi University, Kagawa University, Kyushu University, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka Dental College, Kurume University, Saga University, Nagasaki University, Oita University, and Kagoshima University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan

    Koh-Hei Sonoda & Eiichi Hasegawa

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Kenichi Namba

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Kyorin University, Tokyo, Japan

    Annabelle A. Okada

  4. Japan Community Health Care Organization Hospital, Osaka, Japan

    Nobuyuki Ohguro

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroshi Goto

Authors

  1. Koh-Hei Sonoda

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  2. Eiichi Hasegawa

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  3. Kenichi Namba

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  4. Annabelle A. Okada

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  5. Nobuyuki Ohguro

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  6. Hiroshi Goto

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Consortia

JOIS (Japanese Ocular Inflammation Society) Uveitis Survey Working Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Koh-Hei Sonoda.

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Conflicts of interest

K. Sonoda, none; E. Hasegawa, none; K. Namba, grant (Mitsubishi Tanabe, AbbVie, Eisai, EP-CRSU), speaker fee (HOYA, Alcon, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Kowa, Chugai, Senju, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Eisai, AbbVie, Santen); A. A. Okada, consultant fee (Bayer, AbbVie, Astellas, Daiichi-Sankyo, Allergan, Chugai), research grant, lecture fee (Bayer, Novartis, Santen, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Alcon), lecture fee (Senju, Otsuka); N. Ohguro, none; H. Goto, none.

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Corresponding Author: Koh-Hei Sonoda

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Sonoda, KH., Hasegawa, E., Namba, K. et al. Epidemiology of uveitis in Japan: a 2016 retrospective nationwide survey. Jpn J Ophthalmol 65, 184–190 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-020-00809-1

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  • Received: 21 May 2020

  • Accepted: 09 October 2020

  • Published: 11 March 2021

  • Issue Date: March 2021

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-020-00809-1

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