Intraocular inflammatory disease (uveitis) and the use of oral tolerance: a status report

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1996 Feb 13:778:325-37. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1996.tb21140.x.

Abstract

Intraocular inflammatory disease, or uveitis, is a disorder that mostly affects children and young adults. It is the cause of about 10% of the severe visual handicap in the United States. Many of the severe, sight-threatening uveitic conditions are thought to be driven by putative autoimmune mechanisms, often with high-dose oral prednisone use as treatment, along with cytotoxic agents, antimetabolites, and cyclosporine adjunctively. The feeding of the uveitogenic retinal S-Ag to rats immunized with the same antigen resulted in clinical protection. A pilot study in which two patients, one with pars planitis and the other with Behcet's disease, were fed with the retinal S-Ag resulted in these patients' immunosuppressive medication being decreased and/or stopped. The trial also provided us with information concerning dosage and expected immune responses. A randomized, masked study looking at the effect of feeding retinal antigens to uveitis patients is ongoing.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Antigens / administration & dosage*
  • Antigens / immunology
  • Arrestin
  • Autoantigens / administration & dosage
  • Autoantigens / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Child
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Eye Proteins / administration & dosage*
  • Eye Proteins / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance*
  • Lymph Nodes / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Mice
  • Pilot Projects
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Lew
  • Uveitis / immunology*
  • Uveitis / prevention & control*
  • Uveitis / therapy

Substances

  • Antigens
  • Arrestin
  • Autoantigens
  • Eye Proteins