PURPOSE To demonstrate changes in the demography and diagnosis of uveitis in a specialist clinic in the United Kingdom. METHODS Retrieval of data including all new referrals to Manchester Uveitis… Click to show full abstract
PURPOSE To demonstrate changes in the demography and diagnosis of uveitis in a specialist clinic in the United Kingdom. METHODS Retrieval of data including all new referrals to Manchester Uveitis Clinic from 1991 to 2020. The incidence and proportions of diagnoses between 4 quartiles was compared. RESULTS 5000 patients with uveitis were seen. Referral rates trebled over time. Highly significant increases in referrals were seen for multiple evanescent white dot syndrome-spectrum disorders, syphilis and tuberculosis; increases were also seen for herpetic retinitis, vitreoretinal lymphoma and sarcoidosis. Highly significant decreases were seen for Fuchs' uveitis, Behçet's uveitis and ocular toxoplasmosis. CONCLUSIONS Subspecialisation and de-skilling has changed referral patterns to specialist clinics; changes cannot be entirely attributed to disease incidences, which also vary between countries. International data are non-comparable. There are clear changes in referral patterns and disease incidence in this population, influenced by evolving diagnosis. Local data should steer care planning.
               
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