title: Elevated tumor necrosis factor in serum is associated with increased retinal ischemia in proliferative eales' disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was evaluated in the serum of patients with proliferative stage of Eales' disease to study its relation with the area of retinal capillary non-perfusion (ischemic retina).
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantification of the levels of TNF was done using sandwich ELISA in 52 cases with proliferative Eales' disease and in 32 healthy controls. Seven 50° photographs of different fields of the fundus were taken on fluorescein angiography. The area of retinal capillary non-perfusion denoting retinal cell death was assessed in terms of optic disc areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TNF levels were found to be significantly increased in the proliferative stage of the disease (mean 23.64 ± 3.7 pg/ml) as compared to controls (mean 12.49 ± 2.9 pg/ml; p < 0.001). Higher levels of TNF were found to be associated with an increased area of retinal capillary non-perfusion on fluorescein angiography. TNF levels of 20-31 pg/ml were observed in cases with neovascularization at the disc (n = 33) as compared to 17-21 pg/ml in cases with neovascularization elsewhere (n = 19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An increased level of TNF is associated with an increased area of the ischemic retina. It is hypothesized that retinal cell death signaling in proliferative Eales' disease is related to an increased TNF level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, CSM Medical University, Lucknow, India. sandeepsaxena2020@ yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: Vinay K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.forename: Aditya B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pant
authors.forename: Carsten H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Vijay K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D031300:Retinal Vasculitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha