Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis

Purpose: Immunomodulatory agents, including conventional immunosuppressive treatment and biologics, are the mainstay of treating chronic uveitis. Janus kinase ( JAK) inhibitors, one of the newest biologics, have shown successful outcomes in treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis...

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Main Authors: Diego Dominguez, Sawyer Vaclaw, Cynthia McClard, Matlock A. Jeffries, Jila Noori
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Knowledge E 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research
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Online Access:https://knepublishing.com/index.php/JOVR/article/view/14952
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author Diego Dominguez
Sawyer Vaclaw
Cynthia McClard
Matlock A. Jeffries
Jila Noori
author_facet Diego Dominguez
Sawyer Vaclaw
Cynthia McClard
Matlock A. Jeffries
Jila Noori
author_sort Diego Dominguez
collection DOAJ
description Purpose: Immunomodulatory agents, including conventional immunosuppressive treatment and biologics, are the mainstay of treating chronic uveitis. Janus kinase ( JAK) inhibitors, one of the newest biologics, have shown successful outcomes in treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases by suppressing the JAK/signal transducers and transcription (STAT) pathway. We present two cases of recalcitrant chronic uveitis with significant improvement in intraocular inflammation by using upadacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor. Case Reports: The first case is a 59-year-old female with HLA-B27-positive Chron’s disease and chronic anterior and intermediate uveitis who experienced an improvement in visual acuity, anterior chamber and vitreous inflammation, and cystoid macular edema on upadacitinib. The second patient is a 71-year-old female with birdshot chorioretinopathy, intolerant of initially used systemic immunosuppressive agents who showed significant improvement in vitreous inflammation, retinal phlebitis, and choroiditis after treatment with upadacitinib. Conclusion: Utilizing JAK inhibitors such as upadacitinib in treating uveitis, whether in isolated forms or in the context of systemic autoimmune diseases, may require further evaluation by controlled cohort studies.
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institution Kabale University
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2008-322X
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
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series Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research
spelling doaj-art-a1e58214a5a14f7c8fb6cb002f4d89222025-08-20T03:49:32ZengKnowledge EJournal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research2008-20102008-322X2025-05-012010.18502/jovr.v20.14952Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic UveitisDiego Dominguez0Sawyer Vaclaw1Cynthia McClard 2Matlock A. Jeffries3Jila Noori4Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tulsa, OKUniversity of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, OHUniversity of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OKUniversity of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK Purpose: Immunomodulatory agents, including conventional immunosuppressive treatment and biologics, are the mainstay of treating chronic uveitis. Janus kinase ( JAK) inhibitors, one of the newest biologics, have shown successful outcomes in treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases by suppressing the JAK/signal transducers and transcription (STAT) pathway. We present two cases of recalcitrant chronic uveitis with significant improvement in intraocular inflammation by using upadacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor. Case Reports: The first case is a 59-year-old female with HLA-B27-positive Chron’s disease and chronic anterior and intermediate uveitis who experienced an improvement in visual acuity, anterior chamber and vitreous inflammation, and cystoid macular edema on upadacitinib. The second patient is a 71-year-old female with birdshot chorioretinopathy, intolerant of initially used systemic immunosuppressive agents who showed significant improvement in vitreous inflammation, retinal phlebitis, and choroiditis after treatment with upadacitinib. Conclusion: Utilizing JAK inhibitors such as upadacitinib in treating uveitis, whether in isolated forms or in the context of systemic autoimmune diseases, may require further evaluation by controlled cohort studies. https://knepublishing.com/index.php/JOVR/article/view/14952Birdshot ChorioretinopathyJAK InhibitorsUpadacitinibUveitis
spellingShingle Diego Dominguez
Sawyer Vaclaw
Cynthia McClard
Matlock A. Jeffries
Jila Noori
Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis
Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research
Birdshot Chorioretinopathy
JAK Inhibitors
Upadacitinib
Uveitis
title Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis
title_full Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis
title_fullStr Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis
title_full_unstemmed Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis
title_short Successful Use of Upadacitinib, a Selective JAK Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Two Cases of Recalcitrant Chronic Uveitis
title_sort successful use of upadacitinib a selective jak inhibitor in the treatment of two cases of recalcitrant chronic uveitis
topic Birdshot Chorioretinopathy
JAK Inhibitors
Upadacitinib
Uveitis
url https://knepublishing.com/index.php/JOVR/article/view/14952
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