Hormone levels affect onset of uveitis in women

The onset of acute anterior uveitis in women is partially dependent on their levels of estrogen, progesterone or both, a study suggests. A significant increase in the incidence of acute anterior uveitis in women was seen during the late stages of the menstrual cycle, the study authors found.

N.P. Jones and colleagues at the Royal Eye Hospital in Manchester, England, studied women with primary or recurring attacks of acute anterior uveitis who presented at a referral clinic.

The authors speculated that the withdrawal of the anti-inflammatory effects of estrogen or progesterone during the menstrual cycle might provoke the onset of uveitis.

The study is published in Eye.