Risk of Uveitis with Spondyloarthritis Save

A retrospective registry study shows that uveitis may be seen in 10% with the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) but becomes more common (47%) over the next 30 years of disease. The good news is that biologic therapy can significantly lower the risk of uveitis in (SpA). 

ASAS-COMOSPA is a multinational, retrospective study of patients fulfilling ASAS SpA classification criteria. 

A total of 3984 patients were studied and showed that the risk of uveitis increased over time: a) 10.5% at the time of the SpA diagnosis; b) increasing to 46.6% after 30 years of SpA. Key findings of this study:

• HLA-B27 positivity, family history of uveitis, peripheral enthesitis and IBD were associated with higher risk of uveitis
• Uveitis was significantly lower if SpA onset was after year 2000 (the year of biologic introduction), compared to before year 2000 (8.2% vs 25.5%, p< 0.01), with a similarly lower incidence (2.8 per 100 PY vs 6.1 per 100 PY, respectively).

These findings suggest biologic therapy may significantly lower prevalence and incidence of uveitis.