Research Sheds Light on Connection Between Uveitis and Multiple Sclerosis
Medical doctors have long known that there is a connection between the eye condition uveitis and multiple sclerosis (MS). But, a recent study has provided more information about how common it is for people to have both these conditions, and what order they are diagnosed in if someone has both.
Uveitis is diagnosed in approximately 38,000 Americans a year. It causes swelling and irritation of the middle layer of the eye and can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated.
MS, which affects an estimated 400,000 people in the United States, causes permanent nerve deterioration and is often difficult to diagnose. It is estimated that up to one in 10 patients with MS also have uveitis.
To get a better understanding of the relationship between the two diseases, researchers from Casey Eye Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, studied 113 patients who were diagnosed with both uveitis and MS.
They found that nearly 60 percent of patients with both diseases were diagnosed with each within a five-year period. The study also found that:
- MS was diagnosed before uveitis in 29 percent of those studied,
- Both conditions were diagnosed at the same time in 15 percent of those studied,
- MS was diagnosed after uveitis in 56 percent of those studied.
"Both multiple sclerosis and uveitis are autoimmune diseases, where the body's abnormal immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues," said ophthalmologist Raj Maturi, M.D. "Your ophthalmologist will ask you questions about your overall health if you present with uveitis and will follow through any neurological symptoms you may have with the appropriate specialist. Specialist ophthalmologists known as neuro-ophthalmologists may evaluate your condition as well."