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A Glimpse into Uveitis in the Aging Eye: Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation and Treatment Considerations

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Abstract

Uveitis describes a group of inflammatory conditions of the eye that have various underlying causes and clinical presentations. Susceptibilities to uveitis in the elderly may be attributed to age-related risk factors such as immunosenescence, increased immunological inflammatory mediators, and autoimmunity. Overall, anterior uveitis is more common than posterior and panuveitis in the general population and also in the elderly. Some causes of uveitis in the elderly are herpes simplex virus, ocular ischemic syndrome, sarcoidosis, and central nervous system lymphoma, and these will be discussed in detail herein. Eye care professionals need to consider the wide differential for uveitis, obtain the appropriate history, conduct a detailed clinical examination, and tailor management to the clinical presentation and underlying cause of disease. The challenges of polypharmacy and nonadherence in the elderly impact patient outcomes and must be taken into consideration when considering treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Elizabeth Akinsoji, Raquel Goldhardt & Anat Galor

  2. Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA

    Raquel Goldhardt & Anat Galor

  3. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 900 NW 17th Street, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Raquel Goldhardt & Anat Galor

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  1. Elizabeth Akinsoji
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Correspondence to Anat Galor.

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Supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Clinical Sciences Research EPID-006-15S (Dr. Galor), R01EY026174 (Dr. Galor), NIH Center Core Grant P30EY014801 and Research to Prevent Blindness Unrestricted Grant.

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Akinsoji, E., Goldhardt, R. & Galor, A. A Glimpse into Uveitis in the Aging Eye: Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation and Treatment Considerations. Drugs Aging 35, 399–408 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-018-0545-3

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