title: Ocular immunopathology of Behçet's disease.
abstract: A patient developed progressive, severe, recurrent bilateral iridocyclitis, retinal vasculitis, and hemorrhagic infarction of the retina that led to blindness despite immunosuppressive therapy. Histopathology of an enucleated blind and painful eye revealed marked nongranulomatous uveitis with a predominantly CD4+ T-lymphocytic infiltration, as well as B-cell and plasma cell aggregation. Extensive expression of adhesion molecules on vascular endothelial cells were found. This finding suggests that adhesion molecules play an important role in the vasculitic process, the trademark of Behçet's disease. The ocular pathology and the therapeutic approach to Behçet's disease are briefly reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Whitcup
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Nussenblatt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015863:Iridocyclitis / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D012166:Retinal Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology