Posterior uveitis, or choroiditis, refers to inflammation of the choroid. It can affect the retina and/or optic nerve and lead to permanent loss of vision.
What causes posterior uveitis?
Posterior uveitis can be infectious or non-infectious. Many non-infectious cases are idiopathic.
Common non-infectious causes
- Sarcoidosis
- Birdshot chorioretinopathy
- Behcet’s disease
- Presumed ocular histoplasmosis
- Certain medications
- Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome
Common infectious causes
- Toxoplasmosis
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis
- Herpes family of viruses
Prevalence
Non-infectious posterior uveitis is uncommon, affecting about 10 people per 100,000 persons in the United States. It occurs most often in adults between 20 and 50 years of age. Infectious posterior uveitis is more common in developing countries.
Risk factors
Risk factors for non-infectious posterior uveitis include having an underlying autoimmune or immune-mediated disease, such as sarcoidosis. Risk factors for infectious posterior uveitis vary depending on the etiology. For example, eating undercooked meat and being from an endemic region, such as Central or South America, are risk factors for toxoplasmosis, which can lead to uveitis.