The relationship between stress and acute anterior uveitis

Abstract

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To examine the relationship between stress and anterior uveitis using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire (SRRQ). Methods: Patients attending eye casualty with acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and suitable controls were asked to complete the GHQ and the SRRQ. A follow-up postal survey, using the same questionnaires, was repeated at least 3 months later amongst AAU patients only. Scores for the GHQ and SRRQ at initial presentation and at follow-up were compared for different groups. Results: Over 12 months, 42 patients and 25 controls participated in the first stage of this study. Patients with AAU had higher GHQ scores than controls (mean 6.8 versus 3.2, p ¼ 0.01). A total of 25 patients responded to the follow-up postal survey. At follow-up, 13 had experienced resolution and 12 had recurrence. In the group with resolution, there was a significant fall in GHQ scores (mean 6.1 versus 1.5, p ¼ 0.0044). Patients with recurrence had higher GHQ scores than those with resolution (mean 6.8 versus 1.5, p ¼ 0.02). Conclusions: Using the GHQ reveals a clear relationship between stress and the recurrence of AAU in susceptible individuals.

Acute anterior uveitis is associated with depression and reduction of general health

“…Impairment of general health in patients with AAU has also been reported previously by Carrim et al ,8 wherein 42 patients were shown to achieve poorer scores on a general health questionnaire during a flare-up than did controls.…”

Distress, depression and coping in HLA-B27-associated anterior uveitis with focus on gender differences

“…These results support the data reported by Carrim et al , according to whom patients with acute AU experience an extraordinary burden in terms of their psychological well-being and general health (table 4). 14 The patients investigated in that study achieved higher (ie, poorer) scores on the General Health Questionnaire than did controls. The General Health Questionnaire is a psychometric instrument measuring stress, social dysfunction and depression, and is therefore comparable with the BDI used in our study.…”

Can the Hair Follicle Become a Model for Studying Selected Aspects of Human Ocular Immune Privilege?

“…Psychoemotional stress may be implicated in the relapse of anterior autoimmune uveitis. 165 Shouldn't it then be possible to exploit human HF organ culture to further explore in this human miniorgan the direct impact of well-defined stress mediators (including neuropeptides like VIP that have not yet been studied in a hair research context, but are important in ocular IP) on key IP characteristics, such as MHC Ia/␤2-microglobulin expression and the local generation of immunoinhibitory compounds? 5.…”