Clinical Significance of Antinuclear Antibody Results in Patients with Uveitis

Purpose: This study investigated the results of antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing in Korean patients with uveitis, examining its relationship with the clinical course of uveitis and systemic diseases.Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 64 patients with noninfectious uveitis who underwent ANA testing and were followed for at least 6 months at the Department of Ophthalmology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from January 2006 to December 2021. Patients were divided into ANA-positive and ANA-negative groups and correlations between uveitis-related factors and ANA status were assessed.Results: Among the 516 patients tested for ANA, 6.58% (34/516) were positive. The initial visual acuity (logMAR) before treatment was significantly better in the ANA-positive group (0.21 ± 0.20) than in the ANA-negative group (0.59 ± 0.68) (<i>p</i> = 0.002). However, the final visual acuity after treatment showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were observed in terms of immune deficiency status, types of associated rheumatic disease, rheumatoid factor positivity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (define) levels, or treatment modalities. No significant correlation was found between ANA titers and the severity of uveitis.Conclusions: Relationships between ANA positivity and the etiology, treatment outcomes, and systemic diseases associated with uveitis are unclear. Routine ANA testing is not recommended for the diagnosis of uveitis.