HLA antigens in uveitis

HLA antigens are associated with a number of inflammatory eye diseases, most notably HLA B2 with anterior uveitis (AU). This association varies between different populations and ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between uveitis and HLA A, B and DR locus antigens in an Australian population. Seventy-two consecutive patients with uveitis were studied (37 males and 35 females) over a 6 month period. Thirty-two percent of the AU patients were HLA B27+, as were 42% of males (19% females) with their first attack of AU compared with 60% of males (23% females) with recurrent AU. The only significant difference in etiology between males and females was the greatly increased incidence of rheumatic diseases in males, in whom 77% (10/13) had radiological evidence of sacroiliitis. Additional findings included a lack of association between the HLA B7 cross reactive group and DR locus antigens in AU as well as the lack of any HLA associations in the 13 patients with posterior uveitis (PU).