Peripheral uveitis and ulcerative colitis

A 26-year-old woman developed bilateral peripheral uveitis. This was followed five years later by the onset of ulcerative colitis. To our knowledge this is the first report of a relationship between these two entities. A brief review of the literature is undertaken along with a description of some of the immunologic phenomena common to these two disorders. Systemic manifestations with peripheral uveitis are rarely reported, and we feel that many case of uveitis in patients with ulcerative colitis may go undetected. Therefore the true incidence of uveitis in ulcerative colitis may be higher than is realized. It is emphasized that a complete and extensive ocular examination be made in all patient with ulcerative colitis or other forms of inflammatory bowel disease. In this way, the true relationship between these disorders may be elicited and the presence or absence of a common immunologic disturbance may be determined.