Autoimmune Liver Disease Associated Uveitis: An Extrahepatic Manifestation or a Polyautoimmunity Phenomenon? Case Reports

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To report two cases of non-granulomatous unilateral anterior uveitis in two female patients associated with autoimmune liver diseases (ALD), emphasizing the possibility of this rare coexistence as a polyautoimmunity phenomenon.

Case descriptions

Case 1: An 18-year-old female with a history of congenital renal hypoplasia and metabolic syndrome presented with anterior uveitis in OS and a history of jaundice, blood elevated hepatic enzymes, and cholangioresonance compatible with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Laboratory work-up for additional autoimmune and infective causes were within normal limits. Case 2: An 58-year-old female presented an episode of anterior uveitis in OD and a history of Sjögren syndrome diagnosed at the age of 53, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), systemic sclerosis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, bilateral sacroiliitis, and vitiligo, consistent with polyautoimmunity and multiple autoimmune syndrome.

Conclusions

Uveitis rarely coexists with ALD. However, it is essential to recognize the possibility of polyautoimmunity in patients presenting with ophthalmic manifestations and a previous diagnosis of ALD, such as PSC or PBC.

KEYWORDS:

• Autoimmune uveitis
• multiple autoimmune syndrome
• polyautoimmunity
• primary biliary cholangitis
• primary sclerosing cholangitis

Acknowledgments

We want to thank the patient for granting permission to publish this information.

Author contribution

All authors significantly contributed to the reported study, whether in the conception, study design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation. All authors participated in the drafting, revising, and critical reviewing of the article, gave their final approval for the version to be published, agreed on the journal to which the article was to be submitted, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval statement

The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate written patient consent forms. The patient consented for the images and clinical information to be reported in the journal in the document. The patient understands that her name and initials will not be published, and all due efforts will be made to conceal her identity.

Data availability statement

The data analyzed in this study is not publicly available due to the protection of medical data privacy but is available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.