Open AccessHTLV‐I Uveitis: A Distinct Clinical Entity Caused by HTLV‐I
Author(s) -
Mochizuki Manabu,
Watanabe Toshiki,
Yamaguchi Kazunari,
Takatsuki Kiyoshi,
Yoshimura Koichi,
Shirao Makoto,
Nakashima Shunsuke,
Mori Shigeo,
Araki Shinji,
Miyata Norio
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
japanese journal of cancer research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 0910-5050
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1992.tb00092.x
Subject(s) - uveitis , medicine , etiology , retinal vasculitis , intermediate uveitis , vasculitis , immunology , dermatology , ophthalmology , pathology , anterior uveitis , disease
Seroepidemiological, clinical and virological studies were carried out in an HTLV‐I endemic area to find out if HTLV‐I caused an intraocular inflammatory disorder, uveitis. The seroprevalence in patients with uveitis without defined etiologies (62/175, 35.4%) was significantly higher than that in patients with non‐uveitic ocular diseases (42/261, 16.1%) or in patients with uveitis with defined etiologies (8/78, 10.3%). Moreover, the seroprevalence in young adults (20–49 years) with uveitis without defined etiologies was 30/67 (44.8%), whereas it was only 10/107 (9.3%) in the other two groups. The uveitis in HTLV‐I carriers was characterized clinically by a moderate inflammation of the vitreous body accompanied by a mild iritis and retinal vasculitis. The proviral DNA of HTLV‐I was detected by polymerase chain reaction from the inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber in 9 out of 9 seropositive patients with the uveitis, but not in any of the tested patients with other types of uveitis. These data, thus, indicate that HTLV‐I causes a specific type of intraocular inflammation, uveitis.