Spontaneous hyphema in juvenile idiopathic arthritis uveitis

Abstract

Background. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a rheumatic disease that may be associated with ocular involvement in childhood. Classical findings of JIA uveitis are cells and flare; hyphema, bleeding in the anterior chamber of the eye, is a rare finding.Case. An 8-year-old girl presented with 3+ cells and a flare in the anterior chamber. Topical corticosteroids were started. A follow-up examination 2 days later revealed hyphema in the affected eye. There was no history of trauma or drug use, and the laboratory test results did not suggest any hematological disease. Systemic evaluation resulted in the diagnosis of JIA by the rheumatology department. The findings regressed with systemic and topical treatment. Conclusions.The most common cause of hyphema in childhood is trauma, but it can rarely be seen with anterior uveitis. This case highlights the importance of recognizing JIA-related uveitis in the differential diagnosis of hyphema in childhood.