Retinal vasculitis and vitreous hemorrhage associated with mixed connective tissue disease: retinal vasculitis in MCTD.
BACKGROUND
Retinal vasculitis associated with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) has rarely been reported in the literature. We describe a rare case of a patient with serious retinal vasculopathy and vitreous hemorrhages associated with MCTD.


METHODS
A 53-year-old woman with MCTD who has had recurrent retinal vasculitis and vitreous hemorrhage in the right eye since 2000 presented with blurred vision in the right eye in April 2003. The best-corrected visual acuity was counting finger in the right eye. The patient was clinically diagnosed as having retinal and vitreous hemorrhages and retinal infarction. Prednisolone was administered orally in a daily dose of 20 mg.


RESULTS
The retinal and vitreous hemorrhage improved in 7 days. The best-corrected visual acuity improved to more than 20/20 on prednisolone alone.


CONCLUSIONS
MCTD can be associated with retinal vasculitis and vitreous hemorrhage which in our case responded well to systematic low doses of corticosteroid therapy.
Mimura
Tatsuya
T
Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan. mimurat-tky@umin.ac.jp
Usui
Tomohiko
T
Amano
Shiro
S
Yamagami
Satoru
S
Ono
Kyoko
K
Noma
Hidetaka
H
Funatsu
Hideharu
H
D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008947:Mixed Connective Tissue Disease / Q000150:complications*; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D031300:Retinal Vasculitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014823:Vitreous Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone