[Effectiveness of interferon alpha in the treatment of uveitis macular edema refractory to corticosteroid and/or immunosuppressive treatment].
BACKGROUND
Macular edema is always a major complication in intermediate and/or posterior uveitis. Some of these macular edemas are refractory to steroid and/or immunosuppressive drugs. Interferon, a validated treatment for Behçet disease, has antiproliferative and immunoregulative properties that may be very valuable in uveitic edema refractory to steroid and/or immunosuppressive agents. Recent studies have brought out the value of interferon-alpha by demonstrating its low blood rate in affected patients.


METHODS
We describe a series of six consecutive uveitic macular edema, secondary to two birdshot retinochoroidopathy, and four cases of idiopathic uveitis treated with interferon-alpha. Our small case series showed a 189.7+/-67 mum decrease in mapping and an improvement in visual acuity of 0.35+/-0.21 LogMAR.


CONCLUSIONS
Other publications have shown a remarkable efficacy on macular edema and visual acuity in less than 1 month of treatment. Our small case series found the same results as the other studies, despite a less aggressive therapeutic regimen. However, we also observed some well-known side effects, in particular depression.


CONCLUSIONS
In our series of six consecutive cases of uveitic macular edema refractory to steroid or immunosuppressive drugs, alpha-interferon provided highly advantageous anatomical and functional results. The treatment modality must be specified, but it seems that a shorter duration and lower posologies might be as effective and lead to a lower rate of complications than the regimen currently proposed in the literature.
Paire
V
V
Service d'ophtalmologie, Hôtel Dieu - CHU de Nantes, Nantes.
Lebreton
O
O
Weber
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000150:complications; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D015867:Uveitis, Intermediate / Q000150:complications*; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000150:complications*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha