title: Clinical evidence of sustained chronic inflammatory reaction in retinitis pigmentosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the nature of inflammatory reaction in eyes of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and its possible role in the pathogenesis of RP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred seventy-one consecutive patients diagnosed with typical RP were included in this study. We included 165 patients without active inflammatory diseases, including 20 patients diagnosed with cataract, and 36 patients diagnosed with idiopathic epiretinal membrane as controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Density of the inflammatory cells in the anterior vitreous cavity was measured and graded by slit-lamp biomicroscopy. A multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to evaluate the concentration of cytokines and chemokines in aqueous humor and vitreous fluid of patients with RP and controls. In addition, we investigated the relationship between visual function and anterior vitreous cells in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Slit-lamp biomicroscopic analysis, best-corrected visual acuity, visual field analysis, and multiplex ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 190 of 509 eyes with RP (37.3%), "1+" (5-9 cells per field) or more cells were observed in the anterior vitreous cavity. Strong inflammatory reaction with "2+" cells (10-30 cells per field) was associated with younger age. In the elderly patients with RP, significantly decreased visual function was seen in a group with "1+" or more cells (P<0.05). Moreover, the levels of a variety of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including monocyte chemotactic protein-1, were increased both in the aqueous humor and vitreous fluid of RP patients compared with the levels in control patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sustained chronic inflammatory reaction may underlie the pathogenesis of RP, suggesting interventions for ocular inflammatory reaction as a potential treatment for patients with RP.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Notomi
authors.forename: Keijiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hisatomi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Enaida
authors.forename: Tatsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines