Ophthalmological and Neurological Findings in Patients with Idiopathic Uveitis Associated with Retinal Vasculitis and the Relation with the HLA DR15 Allele.

PURPOSE: In 15 patients with idiopathic uveitis associated with retinal vasculitis, HLA DRB1 gene testing was performed to detect a possible association. 11 patients tested positive and 4 negative for the HLA DRB1 × 15 allele. The presence of the HLA DRB1 × 15 haplotype might be associated with a higher susceptibility to develop Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

METHODS: In this case series, we describe the ophthalmological and neurological findings in 10 HLA DR15-positive patients and 4 HLA DR15-negative patients that had neurological workup, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain.

RESULTS: All patients had granulomatous ocular inflammation with either panuveitis or intermediate uveitis. MRI of the brain showed white matter lesions in 13 patients (9/10 and 4/4 respectively) of which 4 patients were eventually diagnosed with MS (3/10 and 1/4 respectively).

CONCLUSION: Although the majority of tested patients was carrying at least one HLA DRB1-15 allele, there was no difference in ophthalmological and neurological findings in both groups.