Anti-tumor necrosis factor-α monoclonal antibody agents have been widely applied in the management of autoimmune diseases. Among them, Adalimumab and Infliximab have been used for years in clinical practice in treating non-infectious uveitis and achieved satisfactory effects and safety. However, no guideline or expert consensus for their usage is available in China currently. It hopefully promotes standardized clinical application of anti-tumor necrosis factor -α monoclonal antibody in treating non-infectious uveitis, together with other senior experts in uveitis, the Ocular Immunology Group of Immunology and Rheumatology Academy in Cross-Straits Medicine Exchange Association form this evidence-based recommendations for clinicians’ reference.
As a new treatment option after conventional corticosteroids and immunomodulatory drugs, biologics have been widely used in the clinical management of non-infectious uveitis in many countries due to their approved efficacy and safety. Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha monoclonal antibody is the most commonly used one. However, the guidance on its standardized application is lacking. The Ocular Immunology Group of Immunology and Rheumatology Academy in Cross-Straits Medicine Exchange Association compiled the Chinese expert consensus on treatment of non-infectious uveitis with anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha monoclonal antibody. This evidence-based consensus is made according to the principle of consensus building and combines the clinical experience of the experts. Twelve recommendations are formatted on the application of Adalimumab and Infliximab. The interpretation of this consensus point will help improve the normative and effective application of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha monoclonal antibody in ophthalmologists, rheumatologists and immunologists.
Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and factors influencing treatment of pediatric noninfectious uveitis with Adalimumab (ADA). MethodsA retrospective clinical study. A total of 86 pediatric patients with non-infectious uveitis, diagnosed and treated with ADA at Department of Uveitis Specialist of Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi' an Fourth Hospital) from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023, were included in this study. The age of all patients was ≤16 years. Among them, 55 (63.95%, 55/86) patients received ADA combined with one immunosuppressive agent, 28 (32.56%, 28/86) patients received ADA combined with ≥2 immunosuppressive agents, and 3 (3.49%, 3/86) patients received ADA alone without any immunosuppressive agents. All patients underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations. The thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in the macular region was measured using an OCT device. The cumulative treatment effectiveness rate at 12 months post-treatment was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model, and the optimal predictive model was selected based on the Bayesian information criterion. The association between different treatment regimens and various clinical outcomes was assessed.ResultsAmong the 86 pediatric patients, 42 were male and 44 were female, with a mean age of (10.47±3.23) years. The distribution of uveitis types was as follows: anterior uveitis in 37 cases, intermediate uveitis in 15 cases, posterior uveitis in 10 cases, and panuveitis in 24 cases. Anterior chamber cells (ACC), keratic precipitates, and synechiae were present in 66, 55, and 38 cases, respectively. The cumulative treatment effectiveness at 12 months was 85.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 71.9-92.2], with a median time to treatment effectiveness of 3 months. Compared with baseline, after 6 months of treatment, the BCVA, RNFL thickness (Z=−6.323, −8.017), and the grading of ACC and vitreous haze (χ2= −6.917, −5.027) showed significant improvement, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that ACC (hazard ratio=22.31, 95%CI 2.43-204.68) and anterior uveitis (hazard ratio=3.88, 95%CI 2.03-7.42) were significantly associated with treatment effectiveness (P<0.05). Patients with ACC had a median time to treatment effectiveness of 2 months, with a 12-month cumulative treatment effectiveness of 95.5% (95%CI 86.3-98.5). Patients with anterior uveitis had a median time to treatment effectiveness of 2 months, with a 12-month cumulative treatment effectiveness of 97.3% (95%CI 81.3-99.6). Patients without anterior uveitis had a median time to treatment effectiveness of 5 months, with a 12-month cumulative treatment effectiveness of 76.7% (95%CI 54.1-88.2). The cumulative recurrence risk at 12 months was 15.6% (95%CI 6.2-24.1). ConclusionADA is safe and effective in treating pediatric non-infectious uveitis, and ACC and anterior uveitis are associated with response rate.
Pediatric uveitis is an inflammatory disease involving iris, ciliary body and choroid. Compared with adult uveitis, pediatric uveitis has insidious onset and is easy to delay treatment. In recent years, biological agents have made remarkable progress in the treatment of non-infectious uveitis (NIU) in children. Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha drugs represented by Adalimumab have shown good effects in the control of inflammation, the saving of glucocorticoids, the frequency of uveitis attacks and the improvement of visual prognosis. At the same time, other biologics such as B cell antagonists, T cell antagonists, interleukin-6 antagonists and Janus kinase inhibitors were also gradually tested in children with NIU, bringing good news to children who failed to respond to anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha drugs. With the in-depth understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of NIU children by clinicians, as well as the characteristics and therapeutic application of various biological agents, it is helpful to develop a more diversified and individualized treatment plan for children, so as to save the vision of children and children's families.