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Prevalence and clinical impact of antiretinal antibodies in uveitis
Author(s) -
Berge Josianne C. E. M.,
Schreurs Marco W. J.,
Vermeer Jacolien,
MeesterSmoor Magda A.,
Rothova Aniki
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/aos.12939
Subject(s) - uveitis , medicine , iif , clinical significance , autoantibody , ophthalmology , antibody , immunology
Abstract Purpose To determine the prevalence of serum antiretinal antibodies ( ARA s) among patients with uveitis and establish their clinical relevance. Methods This prospective study assessed the presence of ARA s by indirect immunofluorescence ( IIF ) using primate retina in 126 patients with uveitis and 60 healthy controls. Clinical data of uveitis patients were collected from medical charts and included the classification of uveitis, cause of uveitis or its association with systemic disease, stage and activity of uveitis and specific retinal features. Correlations between the presence of specific ARA s and various clinical characteristics were analysed. Results The presence of ARA s was observed in 49 of 104 (47%) of patients with uveitis and in 10 of 59 (17%) of healthy controls (p < 0.001). Staining of the nuclear layers or the photoreceptors were both more often observed in patients with uveitis compared to healthy controls (p = 0.002 and p = 0.018, respectively). No specific associations were found between the presence of serum ARA s and various clinical characteristics. Conclusion Serum ARA s were more frequent in patients with uveitis compared to healthy controls, but their clinical role remains elusive. The assessment of intraocular production of specific ARA s may provide further insight into the role of ocular autoantibodies in diverse uveitis entities.