Prevalence, clinical characteristics, and independent predictors of uveitic macular edema in an Asian population: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background: To determine the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and independent predictors of uveitic macular edema (UME) in patients with nonanterior uveitis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis who underwent macular assessment using optical coherence tomography between January 2015 and February 2020. The prevalence of UME and clinical characteristics of the patients were described. Predictors of UME were identified using multivariate regression analysis. Results: A total of 349 patients were included. The mean age was 41 years, female:male ratio was 1.3:1. The prevalence of UME was 51.9%. UME was found in 33.9%, 56.9%, and 54.1% of the intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis cases, respectively. Among patients with UME, infectious uveitis was the most common cause (47%), followed by idiopathic uveitis (32.6%) and immune-mediated uveitis (20.4%). Diffuse macular edema was the most frequently observed pattern (36.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that factors independently associated with UME included age at uveitis onset (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.03, P = 0.036), PU and panuveitis compared with intermediate uveitis (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.14-3.86, P = 0.018), and infectious uveitis compared with noninfectious uveitis (aOR 2.13, 95% CI 1.34-3.37, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Increasing age at uveitis onset, posterior/panuveitis, and infectious etiology are predictive factors for UME in patients with nonanterior uveitis.