الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Uveitis in childhood is a potentially blindingdisease, in the majority of patients characterized by a chroniccourse, a high complication rate of 76%and surgical intervention in 28%. The doctors are more concerned with preventing and treating the complications, than categorizing the exact type and cause of the uveitis, (although this is obviously important as well). It is well worth trying to understand the difference between active uveitis (frequently referred to as ‘flare ups’) and complications of uveitis. Specialists in uveitis now assess a patient carefully to look for the signs of early complications. The aim of treatment is to prevent or minimize any potentially sight-threatening effects (Mingels,2005).
For many years, uveitis was considered a single disease entity; therefore, the approach to treatment varied very little. As knowledge of the disease process grew and the sophistication of immunologic and microbiologic testing increased the fact that uveitis entails a multitude of diseases became clear. Although some diseases are local ocular immune phenomena, many of them are systemic diseases with ocular manifestations. Because the spectrum of disease pathogenesis ranges from autoimmunity to neoplasia to viruses, the practitioner of uveitis requires an understanding of internal medicine, infectious diseases, rheumatology, and immunology. (Foster and Vitale, 2002)
Uveitis in children is associatedwith difficulties in diagnosis and treatment and large potential social and economic consequences.Earlyand aggressive anti-inflammatory treatment is the best meansto improve long-term outcomes from intraocular inflammation,but drug-related adverse reactions may be more troubling andless well tolerated by children. Corticosteroids which areoften the mainstay of treatment of non-infectious uveitis causeconsiderable side effects especially in children. Immunosuppressivedrugs used as steroid-sparing agents include antimetabolites, antibiotics and calcineurin inhibitors they all have generalized effects on the organism and are burdened with various side effects. Better alternativetreatment with improved efficacy and fewer side effects is desirable.