Risk of Uveitis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease on Immunosuppressive Drug Therapy

Lay Summary We demonstrate using a large insurance claims database that patients with inflammatory bowel disease newly initiated on (1) a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor versus a nonbiologic agent or (2) adalimumab versus infliximab do not have differing risk of developing anterior noninfectious uveitis. Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients may develop anterior uveitis. Methods An observational cohort of IBD patients followed new users of (1) tumor necrosis factor inhibitor versus nonbiologic agents or (2) adalimumab versus infliximab until occurrence of anterior uveitis or treatment change/discontinuation. Cox-proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios in propensity score-matched cohorts of Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis patients. Results No statistically significant differences in the risk of uveitis were observed between initiators of nonbiologics and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. Effect estimates for adalimumab versus infliximab were highly imprecise due to limited outcomes. Conclusions Uveitis risk was not different between IBD patients treated with immunosuppressives.