Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease: clinical features, therapy and long-term visual outcome in a Caucasian and African population

Purpose: Seventeen consecutive cases of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease were studied to determine their clinical profile. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 17 cases, in a white and African population. Results: The sex ratio (female/male) was 1.6. Mean age was 37.65 +/- 10.2 years. Eight patients were Caucasian (47%), and seven were from North Africa (41%), and two were black Africans (112%). Eleven patients were referred during the acute stage, and six patients secondarily. All patients had bilateral ocular involvement. Panuveitis with retinal serous detachment was the most frequent presentation (88%). Extraocular signs were found in 87% of the cases. Initial visual acuity was 0.29 +/- 0.36, and final visual acuity was 0.78 +/- 0.3. Patients seen during the acute stage were treated with general corticotherapy. Immunosuppressive agents were given in 56% of the cases. Conclusions: Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, in a Caucasian and African population, has a presentation close to that of the Japanese population. However, cutaneous signs are much rarer. Visual prognosis was generally favorable.