Purpose: To clarify the clinical features of human lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated uveitis (HAU) in patients of Hokkaido University Hospital, Hokkaido, northern Japan.
Methods: We reviewed the records of a consecutive series of 21 patients with HAU who were followed up for more than 12 months at Hokkaido University Hospital.
Results: Of the 21 patients enrolled in this study, 19 as well as their parents (90.5 %) were born in Hokkaido. One patient was a member of the Ainu ethnic group. Unilateral involvement was found in 16 cases (76 %). In the ophthalmological examinations, vitreous opacity was most frequently followed by keratic precipitate, iris/gonio nodules, and posterior synechiae, while hypopyon, retinal vasculitis, and neovascularization were rarely observed. Intraocular inflammation was controlled by topical treatment, while systemic corticosteroids were required in less than one-fourth of patients. Visual acuity improved in 15 patients, remained unchanged in four patients, and deteriorated in two patients. HAU was observed in two patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). Three out of the four patients (75 %) for whom HLA typing was available had HLA-A26.
Conclusions: A number of clinical features were unique to Hokkaido, namely, predominant unilateral involvement, as well as two HAU patients with ATLL. The phylogenetic difference of HTLV-1 and HLA typing may correlate with different clinical manifestations in HAU.