The initiation of inflammation in uveitis

The initiation of uveitis is related in every instance to some form of injury. This may be transient, as in the case of an axon reflex, or long-lasting and destructive as in the case of progressive granulomatous disease. The early responses to injury appear to be histamine-mediated, while the later responses are mediated by prostaglandins and kinins. Cellular injury may be caused by contusion, by antibody- or cell-mediated cytotoxic reactions, or by direct invasion of cells by micro-organisms. The deposition of immune complexes and complement in the uveal tract appears to be one of the most important mechanisms for the initiation of uveitis, but the mere finding of elevated levels of immune complexes in the serum has no special significance.