Shahid Jamal Siddiqui, Sayed Imfiaz Ali Shah, Tariq Aziz, Niazi J H, Partab Rai, Mohammad Saleh Memon.
Causes of retinal vasculitis.
Pak J Ophthalmol Jan ;20(2):53-6.

A hospital based descriptive study of 102 patients of retinal vasculitis was carried out at the Departments of Ophthalmology Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi and Chandka Medical college, Larkana from April 1996 to December 2002. Purpose of study was to find out the frequency of different causes of retinal vasculitis and to review the approach leading to their diagnostic evaluation. After taking careful history, examination and investigations were carried out to exclude the other possible causes of retinal vasculitis. Fifty patients were diagnosed as Eales disease (49%) with all investigations normal. In twenty-eight patients Montoux test was strongly reactive and revealed inactive tuberculosis (27.4%). Ten patients had increased levels of serum angiotensin converting enzyme and were diagnosed as Sarcoidosis (9.8%). Eight patients presented with active tuberculosis (7.8%) while 4 patients had syphilis (3.9%) and two patients with positive serum toxoplasma IgG had ocular toxoplasmosis (1.9%). Conclusion: Most of the cases were idiopathic with all investigations normal. Eales disease was the most frequent cause of retinal vasculitis. Other causes of retinal vasculitis must be excluded such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, syphilis, toxoplasmosis and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

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