The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of uveitis among Veterans Affairs (VA) patients in the Pacific Northwest and to compare these rates with previously published epidemiologic studies. Medical records from 152,267 patients seen at six VA Medical Centers in Oregon and Washington during Fiscal Year 2004 were reviewed for uveitis-related ICD-9 codes. Definite cases were anatomically classified, assessed for associated systemic disease, and categorized as incident or prevalent. The crude incidence of uveitis was 25.6 cases per 100,000 person-years, with a crude prevalence of 69 cases per 100,000 persons. Anterior uveitis was the most common presentation, and approximately half of cases were idiopathic, with HLA-B27–associated disease being the most frequently identified etiology. Incidence did not significantly vary with age, though prevalence was higher in younger patients. These findings align with most population-based studies on uveitis epidemiology but are lower than rates reported in a recent Kaiser Permanente study, a discrepancy that warrants further discussion.
