Background and aims
Chronic anterior uveitis represents the most important extra-articular manifestation of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Previous reviews have shown that outcome measures for this condition are widely heterogeneous. Therefore, our aim was to update the 2019 systematic literature review and to identify similarities, differences, and emerging outcome domains reported over the subsequent five years.
Methods
We performed a systematic literature review from 1st January 2019 to 28th February 2025 to identify studies investigating outcome measures used in JIA-associated uveitis (JIA-U), according to PRISMA guidelines.
Results
We identified 261 papers, of whom 90 potentially eligible. After the full-text revision, 37 studies plus the previous 27, including 1 randomized clinical trial (RCT), were included. Among these studies, 15 outcome measures for JIA-U were identified. Based on their characteristics, we categorized them into three different subgroups: outcome measures for disease activity (30 studies); outcome measures correlated to structural damage (29 studies); and outcome measures of severe disease course (20 studies). The most frequent outcome measures used were the assessment of anterior chamber (AC) cells (29 studies), the visual acuity (21 studies), the development of structural complications (20 studies) and the use and sparing of immunosuppressive therapies (15 studies). Compared with the 2019 review, we identified four studies reporting novel objective techniques for inflammation assessment, including laser flare photometry and anterior segment optical coherence tomography.
Conclusions
Our review confirms the variety of outcome measures for JIA-U while highlighting the emergence of novel imaging and biomarker-based measures. These findings provide an updated evidence base for revising the core outcome set and emphasize the urgent need for a consensus and a composite score, which are essential both for designing endpoints in clinical trials and for guiding treatment choices in clinical practice.
Ilaria Maccora, Giulia Inguscio, Stefano Romano, Ivan Foeldvari, Jordi Antón-Lopez & Gabriele Simonini
Disease Category: Rheumatology
Disease Name: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis associated Uveitis (JIA-U)
Age Range: 0 - 16
Sex: Either
Nature of Intervention: Any
- Systematic review of outcome measures/measurement instruments
- Systematic review