A Report of Two Cases Suggesting Positive Influence of Pregnancy on Uveitis Activity

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the influence of pregnancy on uveitis activity. We report two cases suggesting a favorable influence of pregnancy on the clinical course of uveitis. Case: A 30-year-old woman who was three months pregnant was suspected Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease based on the systemic symptoms and ocular findings of iritis and multi-focal serous retinal detachment. She was positive to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR 4. She was treated only with topical corticosteroids. One month later, the retinal detachment disappeared. Six months later, a healthy baby was born. The fundus of both eyes took on a sunset glow appearance and there has been no recurrence of uveitis. The other case was a 23-year-old woman with Behçet's disease who had several episodes of uveitis in a year even on tacrolimus. Because of pregnancy, all systemic drugs including tacrolimus were discontinued since then. Interestingly, the frequency of uveitis was remarkably decreased during the pregnancy. A normal healthy baby was born. The uveitis has almost completely disappeared since parturition until now. Conclusion: It is considered that the increase of intrinsic hormone, especially corticosteroid, and some other factors with pregnancy may give the suppressive influence on uveitis in our cases.