The diagnostic significance of serological screening of patients with uveitis.

A prospective clinical and serological study was carried out in 165 consecutive patients with anterior uveitis (AU), and a control group comprising 110 healthy volunteers, and 70 patients with Behcet's disease. It appeared from our analysis that infections such as syphilis and brucellosis should be suspected in non-responsive cases of anterior uveitis. Furthermore, a highly significant frequency (41%) of sero-positive herpes simplex virus (HSV) antibodies in patients with AU would suggest a possible role of this virus in the etiology of anterior uveitis. Hence, specific treatment in cases of presumptive intraocular infections would lead to marked clinical improvement in terms of intensity and duration of the eye inflammatory process.