WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Dr. Bassam Mahfoodh Salih Al-Abachi* and Dr. Huda Abdul Hadi Mustafa Al-Hyali

ABSTRACT

Background: Uveitis is an inflammatory eye disease causing 30,000 new cases of legal blindness annually in the USA. It can be idiopathic, systemic, viral, inflammatory, or traumatic. Infectious causes account for 20% of cases. Treatments include corticosteroids, non-corticosteroid immunosuppressive agents, leukocyte inhibitors, and alkylating agents. Aim: To evaluate the effect of the Rituximab in the treatment of refractory Uveitis. Patients and Methods: A study involving 106 refractory Uveitis patients at the Specialized Center of Ophthalmology in Mosul from February 2022 to February 2024 evaluated their condition, prescribed Rituximab, and analyzed statistically using SPSS-26. Results: The study involved 106 patients aged 40-80 years, with a female-dominated distribution of 67.9% and a male-dominated 32.1%. The majority had posterior Uveitis, with 27 patients having Non-paraneoplastic autoimmune Retinopathy, 19 patients having juvenile idiopatic arthritis, 11 patients having cancer-associated and Melanoma-associated retinopathy, and 10 patients having Behcet's disease. Out of 106 patients, 78.3% had a positive response to Rituximab, with significant differences in underlying conditions. Recurrence was reported in 19.8% of patients. Conclusion: Most patients experienced a clinical remission of inflammation after taking rituximab, which demonstrated an efficacious response to therapy. For those who are not responding to conventional treatments, it may be a lifesaver.

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