Original articleHuman Leukocyte Antigen-B27–Associated Uveitis: Long-term Follow-up and Gender Differences
Section snippets
Methods
In this retrospective study, the clinical records of all 288 patients with HLA-B27–associated AAU seen at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht between January 1995 and December 2005 were evaluated. In the present series were included all 177 patients with a follow-up time of at least one year and in whom complete records could be traced.
Our hospital is a tertiary referral center, and all patients with uveitis (the exception being the patients with the first episode of anterior uveitis who
Results
General characteristics of all patients are given in Table 1. The male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1, and the average age at onset of uveitis was 36 years, with no differences between males and females. The onset of HLA-B27–associated systemic diseases diagnosed by a rheumatologist occurred earlier in males than in females (30 vs 37 years; P = .021), with similar results for AS solely (Table 1).
The average number of attacks per followed year was 0.9, with no differences between males and females.
Discussion
Our study documents a good visual prognosis for patients with HLA-B27–associated AAU in the long-term follow-up and illustrates that the risk of developing HLA-B27–associated systemic diseases over time was similar in male and female patients. However, an associated systemic disorder developed in males at an earlier age and usually before the onset of uveitis, in contrast to female patients, in whom systemic disease developed approximately six years later and mainly after the onset of uveitis.
References (46)
- et al.
Causes of uveitis in the general practice of ophthalmologyUCLA Community-Based Uveitis Study Group
Am J Ophthalmol
(1996) - et al.
Acute anterior uveitis and HLA-B27
Surv Ophthalmol
(2005) - et al.
Acute anterior uveitis and HLA-B27
Lancet
(1973) - et al.
Anterior uveitis and hypopyon
Am J Ophthalmol
(1991) - et al.
Outcomes in anterior uveitis associated with the HLA-B27 haplotype
Ophthalmology
(1998) - et al.
Clinical features of acute anterior uveitis
Am J Ophthalmol
(1987) - et al.
Ophthalmic findings and frequency of extraocular manifestations in patients with HLA-B27 uveitis: a study of 175 cases
Ophthalmology
(2004) - et al.
International Uveitis Study Group recommendations for the evaluation of intraocular inflammatory disease
Am J Ophthalmol
(1987) - et al.
Concepts and epidemiology of spondyloarthritis
Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol
(2006) - et al.
Clinical features and associated systemic diseases of HLA-B27 uveitis
Am J Ophthalmol
(1996)