title: Birdshot retinochoroidopathy: immunopathogenesis, evaluation, and treatment.
abstract: Birdshot retinochoroidopathy (BSR) is a bilateral posterior uveitis. A putative organ-specific autoimmune disease, it is strongly associated with the HLA-A29 allele, and understanding the immunopathogenesis of BSR is of great interest. The clinical features include minimal anterior uveitis, vitritis, retinal vasculitis, cystoid macular edema, and distinctive hypopigmented choroidal lesions. Findings on electrophysiology studies and angiography have implications for understanding the pathophysiology of the disease, and may be useful for following the course of BSR and the response to therapy in individual patients. The decision to initiate therapy can be difficult, but corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents are often used.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Ophthalmology Division and Ocular Inflammatory Disease Center, Jules Stein Eye Institute, 100 Stein Plaza, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. levinson@jsei.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Ralph D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Levinson
authors.forename: Christine R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Gonzales
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015234:HLA-A Antigens; C035524:HLA-A29 antigen