Articles about Eye Health and Disease 2003
 

Sulfasalazine Reduces the Number of Flares of Acute Anterior Uveitis Over a One-Year Period

(From Santiago Munoz-Fernandez, et al., J Rheumatol 2003;30:1277-9.)

There purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of sulfasalazine (a non-steroidal orally taken anti-inflammatory agent) in the prevention of recurrent flares of acute anterior uveitis.

Patients seen from June 1997 to October 2000 in this prospective, open, longitudinal study were enrolled into the study who fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: either 3 flares of acute anterior uveitis in the previous year, or 2 recurrences of uveitis within 3 months before starting the trial. Patients were excluded if the uveitis was of infectious or malignant origin or patients with contraindications to the drug. The response criteria were defined as absence of symptoms and the presence of a normal ophthalmologic examination. The major outcome was the number of flares of uveitis over a one-year period compared in the same group of patients with the flares along the previous year without Sulfasalazine.

Results: Three hundred ninety-four patients with uveitis were evaluated during the period of the study and 10 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean number of flares in the pre-Sulfasalazine year was 3.4, which was significantly reduced to 0.9 in the year of treatment.

As a conclusion, Sulfasalazine treatment seemed to reduce the number of flares over a one year period in patients with recurrent acute anterior uveitis.

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