Prominent increase of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the sera of patients with uveitis

PURPOSE. TO investigate pathogenesis underlying endogenous uveitis, macroph age migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was quantified in sera of patients. METHODS. Sera were obtained from the 55 patients with uveitis (24 with Behc et's disease; 9 with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada's [VKH] disease; 22 with sarcoido sis) and 58 healthy control subjects. MIF levels were determined by a human MIF enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS. The mean MIF levels in the sera of the patients with Behcet's dise ase, VKH disease, and sarcoidosis and of healthy control subjects were 60.4 +/- 9.0 (mean +/- SE) ng/ml, 16.5 +/- 2.9 ng/ml, 27.1 +/- 5.6 ng/ml, and 5 .4 +/- 0.04 ng/ml, respectively. The average levels of MIF in the sera of u veitis patients were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than those of health y control subjects. The high levels of MIF were especially noted in patient s with Behcet's disease at the ocular exacerbation stage and patients with sarcoidosis at the severe uveitis stage. CONCLUSIONS. Significant increase of MIF in sera was characteristic of uvei tis, and MIF may be a useful laboratory parameter to use to comprehend the clinical course of uveitis.