Prevalence of HTLV-I-associated uveitis in the Kanto Plain, Japan.
BACKGROUND
Seroprevalence of antibody to human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is high in the island of Kyushu, Japan. Reports on the etiological analysis of HTLV-I in patients with uveitis primarily document cases in this island. We studied the seroprevalence of HTLV-I at the Department of Ophthalmology in Yokohama City University Hospital and in Odawara Municipal Hospital, which are in the Kanto Plain on the island of Honshu, Japan.


METHODS
The subjects were 741 patients who visited the two hospitals. The presence of serum antibodies against HTLV-I was assessed using the method of particle agglutination.


RESULTS
Of 454 patients with nonuveitic ocular diseases, 9 (1.98%) were seropositive. Of 143 patients with definite diagnosis of uveitis, 1 (0.70%) was seropositive. Of 144 patients with non-specific uveitis (etiology undefined), 8 (5.56%) were seropositive. Thus, the prevalence of serum antibodies to HTLV-I was higher in patients with non-specific uveitis than in patients with specific uveitis or nonuveitic ocular diseases. Common ocular symptoms of 8 HTLV-I-infected patients with non-specific uveitis were compatible with the clinical features of uveitis described as HTLV-I-associated uveitis (HAU).


CONCLUSIONS
It is important to suspect HAU in patients with uveitis of unknown etiology, even outside known areas of prevalence.
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
M
M
Ishioka
K
K
Goto
S
S
Nakamura
N
N
Watanabe
E
E
Uchio
K
K
Saeki
S
S
Ohno
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D014605:Uveitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology
D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies