title: Progress in the understanding and utilization of biologic response modifiers in the treatment of uveitis.
abstract: Uveitis is the third most common cause of blindness in developed countries. Considering the systemic and local complications of long-term corticosteroid therapy and the intolerance due to side effects and ineffectiveness of conventional chemotherapy, use of biologic response modifiers is a reasonable alternative in the treatment of non-infectious uveitis and persistent uveitic macular edema. The majority of the evidence presented here comes from open uncontrolled analyses. Based on these studies, tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors, especially infliximab and adalimumab, have been shown to be effective in the treatment of non-infectious uveitis in numerous studies. More research is necessary, particularly multi-center randomized clinical trials, to address the choice of biologic response modifier agent and the length of treatment as we employ biologic response modifiers in different types of uveitis and persistent uveitic macular edema.
authors.affiliation: a Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution , Waltham , MA , USA.|b Ocular Immunology & Uveitis Foundation , Waltham , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maleki
authors.affiliation: a Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution , Waltham , MA , USA.|b Ocular Immunology & Uveitis Foundation , Waltham , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Halea
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meese
authors.affiliation: a Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution , Waltham , MA , USA.|b Ocular Immunology & Uveitis Foundation , Waltham , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Haitham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sahawneh
authors.affiliation: a Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution , Waltham , MA , USA.|b Ocular Immunology & Uveitis Foundation , Waltham , MA , USA.|c Department of Ophthalmology , Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: C Stephen
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000068879:Adalimumab / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D000069285:Infliximab / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000628:therapy*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology; D014605:Uveitis / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000069285:Infliximab; D000068879:Adalimumab
keywords: B-lymphocyte inhibitor; Biologic response modifiers; T-lymphocyte inhibitor; TNF-alpha inhibitors; immunomodulatory therapy; interferon; pan lymphocyte inhibitor; specific receptor antagonists; steroid-free remission