Purpose: Uveitis can be associated with meningitis (uveomeningitis) and the inflammation shared with the central nervous system. We aimed to describe the characteristics and outcome of uveomeningitis.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 110 consecutive adult patients with uveomeningitis.
Results: The main causes of uveomeningitis were Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (31%), syphilis (16%), sarcoidosis (12%), Behçet's disease (7%), and multiple sclerosis (5%). Sixteen percent of uveomeningitis remained of undetermined origin. Compared to etiology-matched uveitis without meningitis, patients with uveomeningitis were younger, had more frequent neurological manifestations, and had more frequent abnormal cerebral magnetic resonance imaging findings. In contrast, no ocular feature upon examination was significantly associated with the presence of meningitis. Patients with uveomeningitis were more frequently treated with immunosuppressants but uveitis relapse and systemic complications did not differ between groups.
Conclusion: Uveomeningitis is associated with a limited spectrum of diseases. Meningitis does not seem to impact ocular and extraocular outcomes. Therefore, lumbar puncture should be performed on an individual basis during the diagnostic workup of uveitis.
Keywords: Behcet’s disease; Uveitis; Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease; meningitis; sarcoidosis; syphilis; uveomeningitis.