TY - JOUR T1 - HLA-B27 typing in the categorisation of uveitis in a HLA-B27 rich population JF - British Journal of Ophthalmology JO - Br J Ophthalmol SP - 413 LP - 416 DO - 10.1136/bjo.84.4.413 VL - 84 IS - 4 AU - Minna Huhtinen AU - Anni Karma Y1 - 2000/04/01 UR - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/84/4/413.abstract N2 - AIMS To determine whether HLA-B27 typing helps the clinician in the diagnostic examination of uveitis in a HLA-B27 rich population and also whether the clinical picture of HLA-B27 positive unilateral acute or recurrent anterior uveitis (AAU) is distinguishable from the idiopathic negative form. METHODS During a 3 year period 220 consecutive patients with undetermined uveitis at onset were examined in the Helsinki University Eye Clinic. HLA-B27 antigen was tested for 85% of the patients. Other laboratory or x ray examinations were performed on the basis of the anatomical classification of uveitis and the biomicroscopic features characteristic of uveitis associated systemic diseases. RESULTS HLA-B27 antigen was found significantly more often in patients with anterior (71%) and acute/recurrent unilateral (79%) uveitis than in patients with intermediate, posterior panuveitis (7%), and chronic (7%) or bilateral (12%) forms. Of the 16 cases of HLA-B27 negative unilateral AAU, five showed biomicroscopic features representing uveitis entities. The remaining 11 cases did not differ in any respect from the cases of HLA-B27 positive unilateral AAU. CONCLUSION HLA-B27 antigen helps the clinician in the diagnostic examination of unilateral AAU. Positive test results serve as a clue to search for spondyloarthropathies, and negative results indicate the need to look for specific uveitis entities and other systemic diseases. The occurrence of HLA-B27 positivity in conjunction with uveitis entities other than unilateral AAU is of the same level or less than in the population of Finland in general. ER -