Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis is an intriguing manifestation of JIA and an important contributor of long-term damage. Its pathophysiology is still poorly understood. This review summarizes current concepts. JIA is both a multifactorial and polygenetic disease. In the past 2 decades, multiple studies have indicated that the genetic contribution to both JIA and JIA-associated uveitis is modest. From an ophthalmological point of view, much of the pathophysiological data is derived from studies in experimental uveitis animal models. The pathophysiology of the arthritic manifestations of JIA has been studied extensively in humans. These studies have focused on the principal cells of the adaptive immune system, in particular different subsets of regulatory and effector T cells, as well as on antigen presenting cells or dendritic cells. With advancing technology and advancing knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of JIA-associated uveitis, new targets for therapy might evolve in the coming years.
Keywords: Antigen specificity; JIA; effector T cells; experimental uveitis; genetics; pathophysiology; regulatory T cells.