Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about anterior uveitis.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash anterior uveitis

or in the ophthalmology section of the second edition of the zero to finals

medicine book and you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge and help you remember

the information for longer at members.0.0.0.com. So let's get straight into it.

Anterior uveitis refers to inflammation of the anterior aspect of the uvea.

The uvea consists of the iris, the ciliary body, and the corroid.

The corroid is the layer between the retina and the sclera. Intermediate uveitis and posterior uveitis are also possible but they're less common than anterior uveitis.

anterior uveitis is usually caused by an autoimmune process, but it can also be due to

infection, trauma, ischemia or malignancy.

Anterior uveitis involves inflammation in the anterior chamber of the eye.

The anterior chamber becomes infiltrated by neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages,

which are all cells of the immune system.

Hypopion refers to a fluid collection containing inflammatory cells that's seen at the bottom of the anterior

chamber of the eye on inspection.

Let's talk about the associations.

Anterior uveitis may be associated with an underlying autoimmune condition, particularly seronegative spondolo arthropathies,

for example ankylosing spondylitis, soriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis,

inflammatory bowel disease, sarcoidosis, and Beschyetz disease.

A tom tip for you is worth remembering the association between anterior uveitis and the HLAB27

gene and the seronegative spondolo arthropathies.

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