Possible causes of uveitis

Uveitis can be caused by a number of diseases. Therefore, it is essential to classify each case of uveitis as either infectious or non-infectious. This will determine the most appropriate treatment for patients.

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms that invade the body and cause infections. These organisms could be: viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. On the other hand,

non-infectious diseases are those that are not caused by pathogenic organisms. This category includes eye problems that could be caused by any of the following reasons: eye injury (trauma), autoimmune diseases, surgery, tattoos, cancer, side effects of medications or idiopathic.

Autoimmune diseases include a group of pathologies with extremely varied clinical manifestations, but which share the fact that they are caused by the immune system. The normal function of this system is to "protect" the body from pathogenic organisms that could cause infections. This protection is accomplished primarily through an increase in body temperature and the mobilization of specialized cells for the extermination of these pathogens; in other words: fever and inflammation. However, when the immune system "gets confused" and begins to produce these inflammatory responses on the tissues and organs it normally protects, it produces the effect of "autoimmunity"; thus causing autoimmune diseases. In simpler words, an autoimmune disease is caused "when the immune system attacks the body itself". Autoimmune diseases associated with uveitis can affect the entire body (systemic) or just the eyes (local). The eyes can be affected by systemic rheumatic, neurologic or gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases because they are complex organs that are composed of a lot of connective tissue. nerves and blood vessels. They can also be affected by a select group of autoimmune diseases that are limited only to causing ocular inflammation.

Eye injuries, body tattoos, some eye surgery and some types of cancer can also cause uveitis. Likewise, some medications can induce uveitis as a side effect. Now, within the category of non-infectious uveitis, idiopathic uveitis is quite common. This means that, at the time of medical evaluation, a specific cause of the ocular inflammation has not been identified after ruling out the possibility of an infectious disease. The likelihood that idiopathic uveitis may actually be caused by some autoimmune disease that has not been diagnosed at the time of the last medical evaluation still exists. Because of the large number of autoimmune diseases associated with uveitis, determining the exact cause of the inflammation is an arduous task that can take a long time. Even so, idiopathic uveitis can be treated successfully

The exact reason that can explain with certainty why some people develop autoimmune diseases is still unknown. There are theories that take into consideration a set of multiple factors to explain the origin of these diseases. The general idea is that some people possess certain genetic predispositions for the development of autoimmune diseases. These predispositions can be "activated" through mechanisms such as any of the following: infections, toxins, trauma, natural age progression, diet, lifestyle, alterations in intestinal bacterial flora. Chronic stress or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Other theories state that cesarean deliveries, excessive hygiene or excessive activity of the sympathetic nervous system also predispose to the development of autoimmune diseases. Remember, these theories have not yet been proven in a way that can offer medical certainty. None of the factors mentioned have a linear relationship that directly causes autoimmune disease, but are associations or correlations. For this reason, there are people who may be predisposed to develop autoimmune diseases and yet never develop one; while there are people who are not predisposed, but end up suffering from one.

Demographic information

According to the American Academy of Optometry, some causes of uveitis are more common among certain age groups:

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is associated with the development of chronic anterior uveitis. This type of uveitis is usually asymptomatic or produces minimal symptoms that are very difficult to detect. All children should be routinely evaluated by an ophthalmologist, but children who have been diagnosed with arthritis should be routinely evaluated by a uveitis specialist, even if they have no symptoms of ocular inflammation. Syphilis, sarcoidosis and tuberculosis produce very uncharacteristic clinical manifestations so they are similar to any type of uveitis. For this reason, they are often included in any differential diagnosis of ocular inflammation, especially in cases of intermediate or posterior uveitis. Referral of labs and chest x-rays to check and diagnose these diseases are often included along with other tests. Generally, even if the patient does not statistically belong to a high-risk group for contracting syphilis or tuberculosis, his or her tests are ordered as a preventive measure. Therefore, do not panic if your child has been ordered these tests: it is a preventive measure.