Clinical characteristics, treatment and ocular complications of HLA-B27-related anterior uveitis and HLA-B27-non related anterior uveitis.

INTRODUCTION: Anterior uveitis is the most common type of intraocular inflammation. Those associated to HLA-B27 represent 18 to 32% of all anterior uveitis cases.

OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical characteristics, systemic treatment need, and frequency and type of ocular complications in a cohort of patients diagnosed with HLAB27-related anterior uveitis and in a cohort of patients diagnosed with HLA-B27 non-related anterior uveitis. To establish if statistically significant differences between both cohorts exist.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study including patients with non infectious anterior uveitis related and not related to the antigen HLA-B27.

RESULTS: 162 patients were included, 58 diagnosed with HLA-B27-related anterior uveitis (cohort HLA-B27+1) and 104 diagnosed with HLA-B27- non related anterior uveitis (cohort HLA-B27-). No statistically significant differences were found regarding clinical characteristics between both cohorts with the exception of a higher frequency of recurrences in cohort HLA-B27+ and a higher frequency of chronic uveitis in cohort HLA-B27-. No differences were found regarding systemic treatment use nor development of ocular complications.

DISCUSSION: In contrast to previous studies, we neither found higher male gender predominance in the cohort of patients with HLA-B27-related anterior uveitis, Nor did we find differences regarding average age, laterality, development of complications nor use of systemic corticosteroids.