BACKGROUND: This study aimed to review the causes, presentation, and clinicopathological associations of uveitis in a single department of ophthalmology in Poland, and to compare the findings with previously published studies from other European countries.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Review of local patient records between 2005–2015 identified patients diagnosed with uveitis. Data obtained included age, gender, imaging findings, and laboratory diagnostic findings. A literature review identified 24 publications from 1976–2017 that reported observational data from patients with uveitis in Europe. Statistical analysis compared the findings.

RESULTS: Between 2005–2015, 279 patients were diagnosed with uveitis (mean age, 38.3±15.3 years) (61.6% women) including unilateral uveitis (60.5%), with posterior uveitis (48.4%), anterior uveitis (26.5%), and intermediate uveitis (12.9%). A general etiology was established in 76.3% and included ocular-specific syndromes (31.8%), infection (27.9%), and an association with systemic disease (16.8%), but 23.6% were unclassifiable. Specific causes of uveitis included toxoplasmosis (17.9%), Fuchs uveitis (12.2%), white dot syndromes (WDS) (10.4%), sarcoidosis (6.1%), toxocariasis (6.1%), HLA-B27-associated acute anterior uveitis (AAU) (5.7%), multiple sclerosis (4.7%), ankylosing spondylitis (3.6%) and herpesvirus infection (2.5%). Data from 26 published studies (24,126 patients with uveitis) from 12 European countries showed that idiopathic uveitis was most common (36.6%); the identified causes included toxoplasmosis (9.4%), WDS (7.2%), and Fuchs uveitis (6.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: In a single ophthalmic center in Poland, and throughout Europe, the causes of uveitis are varied. Genetic, geographic, social and environmental factors are likely to affect the cause of uveitis in different populations.

Keywords: Epidemiology, Europe, Poland, uveitis