Syphilis exposure in patients with uveitis.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study is to determine the frequency of syphilis exposure in patients with uveitis, identify patient characteristics associated with serologic fluorescent treponemal antibody assays (FTA-ABS) reactivity, and examine the clinical implications of syphilis exposure in patients with uveitis.


METHODS
A retrospective review of the records of 552 consecutive patients examined in the referral uveitis clinic of an urban eye hospital between January 1989 and January 1994 was performed.


RESULTS
Forty-four (8%) of 552 consecutive patients with uveitis had serologic evidence of syphilis exposure on the basis of a strongly reactive serum FTA-ABS. Syphilis was presumed to be the sole cause of uveitis in 24 patients (4.3%) over the 5-year period. The racial demographic profile of those patients with serologic evidence of syphilis was consistent with the reported distribution of syphilis cases, but there were relatively few identifiable risk factors for sexually transmitted disease (including only three patients who were positive with human immunodeficiency virus). The choice of antibiotic treatment of these patients was variable and sometimes suboptimal.


CONCLUSIONS
This study implicates syphilis exposure as a more common etiology of uveitis than did previous reports, advocates routine serum FTA-ABS testing of patients with uveitis, and indicates a need for a more aggressive role of the ophthalmologist in antibiotic treatment of patients with uveitis and syphilis exposure.
Barile
G R
GR
Department of Ophthalmology, Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
Flynn
T E
TE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003710:Demography; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010401:Penicillin G Benzathine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000276:immunology; D014605:Uveitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D010406:Penicillins; D004318:Doxycycline; D010400:Penicillin G; D010401:Penicillin G Benzathine