ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The non-infectious uveitis, a serious vision-threatening disease is the fourth most common cause of blindness in working population of the developed world. Various antimetabolites are applied in corticosteroid-sparing therapy also in Poland but their efficacy was not compared in our country. The aim of our study was to compare mycophenolate mofetil and azathioprine in terms of therapeutic effect of the antimetabolites in Polish patients with this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The comparative, retrospective study included data of 61 patients admitted to Independent Public University Eye Hospital between January 2009 and January 2017, treated with antimetabolites for non-infectious uveitis. 31 patients received mycophenolate mofetil, 30 patients - azathioprine. In the assessment of corticosteroid-sparing efficacy, among others changes in visual acuity, the duration of the disease and therapy, incidence of ophthalmologic complications, adverse systemic side effects were determined. RESULTS: The corticosteroid-sparing therapy was more often effective, and an improvement of visual acuity more frequent in patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil than in these receiving azathioprine (84% patients vs. 60%, and 27% patients vs. 13%, respectively); these differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results of our study showing better therapeutic efficacy when applied mycophenolate mofetil seems promising approach for treatment of non-infectious posterior uveitis and panuveitis. In the first study, there was different duration of the disease before drug administration (10.5 years vs. 7.14 years in the azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil therapy, respectively, p<0.05) and limited number of patients assessed, thus it is desirable to examine more Polish patients treated with the antimetabolites.
