title: Interferon alfa-2a: a new treatment option for long lasting refractory cystoid macular edema in uveitis? A pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform a prospective pilot study to evaluate interferon alfa-2a (IFN alfa-2a) for the treatment of refractory cystoid macular edema (CME) in endogenous uveitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  IFN alfa-2a was administered at an initial dose of 3 or 6 million IU (depending on body weight) per day subcutaneously. Afterwards IFN alfa-2a was tapered slowly over 6 months and finally discontinued. If CME relapsed IFN alfa-2a was reinstituted and tapered slowly again to evaluate the lowest maintenance dose to keep remission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 15 eyes of 8 patients with refractory CME due to intermediate or posterior uveitis were included. Ineffective pretreatment consisted of systemic steroids and acetazolamide (all patients) and at least one additional immunosuppressant (6 patients). Six of 8 patients (11 eyes) responded well to IFN alfa-2a and CME resolved completely during 6 months treatment. One patient was lost to follow-up after IFN alfa-2a was stopped. In 1 patient (1 eye) even 19 months after cessation of IFN alfa-2a no recurrence of CME occurred. In 4 patients (8 eyes) IFN alfa-2a had to be reinstituted because CME relapsed. All 4 patients responded again. During a mean follow-up period of 16.4 months since restart of therapy we succeeded in all 4 patients to taper IFN alfa-2a to maintenance doses between 1.5 million IU every second and every sixth day without a recurrence of CME in any of the 8 eyes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IFN alfa-2a can be a treatment option for patients with otherwise treatment resistant uveitic CME.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology I, University of Tuebingen, Germany. christoph.deuter@med.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Christoph M E
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Deuter
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koetter
authors.forename: Ilhan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guenaydin
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stuebiger
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zierhut
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015867:Uveitis, Intermediate / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins