title: Ocular disease in patients with ANCA-positive vasculitis.
abstract: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive vasculitis-the term recently applied to Wegener's granulomatosis-is a rare multi-system inflammation characterized by necrotizing granulomas and vasculitis. We investigated the ocular manifestations of this disease in a group of patients drawn from five inflammatory eye disease clinics across the United States. Of 8,562 persons with ocular inflammation, 59 individuals were diagnosed with ANCA-positive vasculitis; 35 males and 21 females, aged 16 to 96 years, were included in this study. Ocular diagnoses were scleritis (75.0%), uveitis (17.9%), and other ocular inflammatory conditions (33.9%) including peripheral ulcerative keratitis and orbital pseudotumor. Mean duration of ocular disease was 4.6 years. Oral corticosteroids and other systemic immunosuppressive agents were used by 85.7% and 78.5% of patients, respectively. Over time, patients with ANCA-positive vasculitis experienced 2.75-fold higher mortality than other patients with inflammatory eye disease.
authors.forename: Angela S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kempen
authors.forename: Dongseok
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Teresa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Liesegang
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Pujari
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Newcomb
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Nussenblatt
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thorne
authors.forename: C Stephen
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jabs
authors.forename: Grace A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Levy-Clarke
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Suhler
authors.forename: Justine R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Smith