Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and concomitant uveitis/periphlebitis retinae are not distinct from those without intraocular inflammation

Recent models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) have indic ated that antigens co-expressed in the retina and uvea might be of pathogen etic relevance in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We investigated the clinical spe ctrum and magnetic resonance imaging of Il MS patients with concomitant uve itis, and determined the frequency of clinically silent intraocular inflamm ation in a prospective series of 50 patients. Two of the 11 patients had pa nuveitis, seven had anterior, and the remaining two had intermediate uveiti s. The onset of uveitis preceded that of neurological symptoms by a mean of 8.5 years(range 1-20). None of the 50 MS patients studied prospectively by using slit lamp examinations and dilated funduscopy showed any evidence of uveitis but six patients: had signs of retinal inflammation ("periphlebiti s retinae"). Cranial MRI did not reveal "atypical" lesional distribution in MS patients with uveitis or periphlebitis retinae. No correlation between the type of MS and uveitis, or between the degree of neurological disabilit y and the type of uveitis was found. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.