Circulating anti-nuclear antibodies in uveitis

Uveitis represents the inflammatory process of uvea being caused by an autoimmune mechanism. Similarly, systemic connective tissue diseases (CTDs) present as well an autoimmune pathogenesis and numerous are the reports of a correlated association of the two different conditions, according to their serological characteristics. In this work, we have studied a number of subjects affected by uveitis as well as a number of subjects affected by CTDs associated with uveitis (14.2%). Only one significant correlation has been observed here, and it is the one between uveitis and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE, 42.8%). The observation has been made up to through a time-lapse of 18 months during which, the signs of uveitis showed a clear trend to faintly diminish till completely disappearing. At the same time, the presence of uveitis has not stressed out any correlation either with the general positivity for the autoantibodies, nor with the titration or the pattern of single fluorescent antibodies. This study seems to confirm the presence of a weak association between uveitis and CTDs (SLE excluded), where the research of antinuclear antibodies does not seem to give any useful element in terms of diagnostics and clinics, able to value the risk of developing CTDs when uveitis is already stated.