Title : Recurrences in viral uveitis with mono and coinfections
Abstract:
The aim: To analyze relapses in viral uveitis with mono- and coinfections.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted among 397 patients with uveitis in 2015-2023. Their age ranged from 15 to 86 years. The incidence of relapses in patients was analyzed by age category and the presence of concomitant coinfections.
RESULTS:Of the studied years, the highest number of initial inpatient visits was in 2018 (62 referrals), 2019 (53 referrals), and 2023 (55 referrals), while the lowest number of initial inpatient visits was in 2020 (36 referrals) and 2021 (24 referrals). Although our clinic was fully operational during the pandemic, the number of initial inpatient visits in 2020 and 2021 was minimal due to the pandemic. On the contrary, the number of repeated inpatient visits with relapses was maximal in 2020, when the pandemic was at its most severe. This is also due to the fact that stress (fear of contracting the disease and death, against the background of helplessness), which is considered one of the main risk factors for uveitis, was strong during that period. Thus, there were 3 repeated applications with relapses in 2015, 8 in 2016, 7 in 2017, 14 in 2018, 9 in 2019, 16 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 6 in 2023. The total number of these applications were 71, nine of which were relapses against the background of coinfection.
The highest number of repeated inpatient visits with relapses in both common, mono- and coinfection uveitis was observed in 2020. This is due to the impact of uveitis risk factors on the occurrence of relapses. There were 5 relapses in 15-24 years olds (7%), 40 relapses in 25-44 years olds (56.4%), 24 relapses in 45-64 years olds (33.8%), and 2 relapses in over 65 years olds (2.8%).
Conclusions:
• Over a 9-year period, the highest number of hospital visits for uveitis was in 2018, 2019, and 2023, and lowest in 2020 and 2021, which included the pandemic.
• The peak of inpatient applications with relapses including in all, mono and co-infection uveitis, was observed in 2020, when the pandemic was most severe. This is explained by the effect of stress, one of the main risk factors for uveitis, on relapses.
• Relapses were most often observed in patients aged 25-44.
