Association of Cytomegalovirus with Idiopathic Chronic Anterior Uveitis with Ocular Hypertension in Korean Patients

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the association between cytomegalovirus and idiopathic chronic recurrent anterior uveitis with ocular hypertension.

Methods: Medical records of 9 consecutive immunocompetent Korean patients with chronic recurrent anterior uveitis and ocular hypertension were retrospectively reviewed. Nested polymerase chain reaction was performed on aqueous humor samples for the herpes family, including cytomegalovirus, varicella zoster virus, herpes simplex virus, and Epstein-Barr virus.

Results: In 7 (77.8%) of 9 patients, aqueous samples were culture-positive for cytomegalovirus (n = 6), Epstein-Barr virus (n = 2), and/or varicella zoster virus (n = 2). Two patients with cytomegalovirus had corneal endotheliitis, and 2 patients with varicella zoster virus had sectoral iris atrophy.

Conclusion: Cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of idiopathic chronic unilateral anterior uveitis with ocular hypertension in immunocompetent Korean patients. The authors suggest that performing polymerase chain reaction on aqueous samples is useful in diagnosing cytomegalovirus in these patients.

• Anterior uveitis
• cytomegalovirus
• endotheliitis
• ocular hypertension
• polymer chain reaction