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PURPOSE: To study the on local and systemic behavior of interleukin-6 in patients with active uveitis. METHODS: IL-6 levels were measured in aqueous humor and peripheral blood samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from 23 patients with uveitis and 16 control patients who had been operated on for uncomplicated cataracts. RESULTS: The aqueous humor of patients with uveitis showed higher levels of interleukin-6 than that of controls (p < 0.001). A comparison of cytokine levels between aqueous humor and serum from patients with uveitis showed significantly higher levels of interleukin-6 in aqueous than in serum (p < 0.001). Correlation studies using the regression test for successive steps failed to demonstrate any association between interleukin-6 levels and the different clinical characteristics of uveitis patients (laterality, onset, patterns, visual damage, localization, inflammatory activity, etiology, and association with the B27 + histocompatibility antigen). CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 is a cytokine that actively participates in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis. These data emphasize the greater local than systemic participation of this cytokine.LA: Spanish
Dr. M. Santos Lacomba, Departamento de Oftalmologia, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia de Cordoba, Spain. med000346@nacom.es
9.4.6 Glaucomas associated with inflammation, uveitis (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.4 Glaucomas associated with other ocular and systemic disorders)