Rubella virus-associated uveitis: clinical manifestations and visual prognosis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical profile of patients with chronic anterior uveitis and intraocular analyses positive for intraocular Rubella virus infection and assess eventual similarities to Fuchs heterochromic uveitis (FHU).


METHODS
Retrospective case-control study.


METHODS
Clinical records of 30 patients with anterior uveitis positive for intraocular antibody production against Rubella virus by Goldmann-Witmer coefficient determination and/or polymerase chain reaction were reviewed and compared with clinical records of 13 patients with chronic anterior uveitis of undetermined origin. Multiple variables were assessed and patient records were evaluated at onset and at one year after their first visit to the University Medical Center Utrecht.


RESULTS
Patients with Rubella virus-associated uveitis were younger at time of initial ophthalmologic presentation (P = .014). Rubella virus-positive patients presented more frequently with unilateral ocular disease (P < .001), keratic precipitates (KPs; P = .014), iris atrophy and/or heterochromia (P = .051), associated vitreous opacities (P = .024), and cataract (P = .004). Also, the combination of KPs, absence of posterior synechiae, cataract, and vitreous opacities occurred more often in the Rubella virus-positive group (P = .026) and the presence of three or four of these criteria occurred more frequently in the Rubella virus-positive group (P = .004).


CONCLUSIONS
Rubella virus causes a distinct clinical spectrum of ocular symptoms similar to the FHU syndrome, which suggests that Rubella virus might be involved in the pathogenesis of FHU.
Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. l.devisser-6@umcutrecht.nl
Lenneke
L
de Visser
Arthur
A
Braakenburg
Aniki
A
Rothova
Joke H
JH
de Boer
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015863:Iridocyclitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012409:Rubella / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014606:Uveitis, Anterior / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral