Early diagnosis of eye inflammation in children with rheumatic diseases is crucial to avoid sequelae

At the DRFZ, children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), the most common rheumatic disease in childhood and adolescence, are being observed in various cohort studies (“National Paediatric Rheumatologic Database” and early cohort “ICON”). One focus is on the manifestation, course, possible complications and biomarkers for uveitis (inflammation of the middle eye skin) associated with JIA. We here show that in every third child with uveitis, the eye is already damaged irreversibly at the time of diagnosis. Consequently, an improvement in the prognosis of uveitis can be achieved primarily through its earlier detection.