Uveitis and Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis or Psoriasis

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the phenotype of the uveitis that accompanies juvenile psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis.

Design: Observational case series.

Methods: Setting: Two university-based referral clinics: 1 in England, 1 in the United States.

Study population: Five children with uveitis and psoriatic arthritis and 1 with uveitis and psoriasis Observational Procedure: Retrospective chart review.

Main outcome measures: Demographics of subjects such as age and sex; description of ocular and joint disease; surgical and other complications; medical treatment.

Results: Five of the 6 children in this series had the onset of disease at or before age 6 (P = .0008 compared to expected age of onset for psoriatic arthritis in childhood). All children in this series had an inadequate response to topical corticosteroids. Most of the children were treated with systemic corticosteroids for many months, yet all of them went on to require methotrexate. Therapy with systemic methotrexate did not suffice, as all the patients also required some form of biologic therapy. Five of 6 had surgeries such as vitrectomy, cataract extraction, or a procedure for glaucoma control.

Conclusions: The observations suggest that the uveitis that accompanies juvenile psoriatic arthritis might be a distinct disease that is particularly severe when its onset affects children aged 6 years or younger.