Use of immunosuppressive agents in uveitis
- 1 December 2003
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Current Opinion in Opthalmology
- Vol. 14 (6), 399-412
- https://doi.org/10.1097/00055735-200312000-00014
Abstract
This review summarizes current patterns in the use of immunosuppressive agents in patients with uveitis. A number of immunosuppressive agents are currently available for the treatment of uveitis. Reports of safety and efficacy, although numerous, have been largely nonrandomized and performed without controls, limiting, to some extent, the strength and generalizability of their conclusions. Nonetheless, the volume of case reports and case series provides compelling evidence that immunosuppressive agents are effective at providing long-term control in patients with moderate to severe chronic or recurrent uveitis. The choice of immunosuppressive agent is complex, and depends on the cause and severity of the patient's underlying inflammation, the presence or absence of associated systemic inflammation, and the patient's prior response to immunosuppressive treatments. Although corticosteroids remain the primary initial treatment for patients with uveitis, use of noncorticosteroid immunosuppressive agents in selected patients with uveitis allows for improved control and decreased risk of corticosteroid-induced side effects.Keywords
This publication has 56 references indexed in Scilit:
- Special considerations in the evaluation and management of uveitis in childrenAmerican Journal of Ophthalmology, 2003
- Corticosteroids in uveitisOphthalmology Clinics of North America, 2002
- Negative regulation of nuclear factor-kappaB activation and function by glucocorticoidsJournal of Molecular Endocrinology, 2002
- Locally Administered Ocular CorticosteroidsDrug Safety, 2002
- Side Effects of Corticosteroid TherapyJournal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 2001
- Recommendations for the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis: 2001 updateArthritis & Rheumatism, 2001
- Ocular complications of topical, peri-ocular, and systemic corticosteroidsCurrent Opinion in Opthalmology, 2000
- Guidelines for the use of immunosuppressive drugs in patients with ocular inflammatory disorders: recommendations of an expert panelAmerican Journal of Ophthalmology, 2000
- Mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action and of immunosuppression by glucocorticoids: negative interference of activated glucocorticoid receptor with transcription factorsJournal of Neuroimmunology, 2000
- Uveitis in childrenOcular Immunology and Inflammation, 2000