ABSTRACT
Blood was studied in 119 patients with ocular inflammatory lesions: endophthalmitis (n = 10), iridocyclitis of viral (n = 47) and unknown (n = 62) genesis, by using the procedures developed by the authors to determine the integral values of the concentration of endotoxin in systemic blood flow and the activity of antiendotoxin immunity. Intestinal endotoxin aggression was found to be involved in the pathogenesis of ocular inflammatory diseases. The use of drugs and procedures, which could diminish the entry of intestinal endotoxin into the blood stream and intensify the processes of its binding and release from systemic blood circulation, substantially enhanced the efficiency of a therapeutic process.
Subject(s)
Endotoxins/blood , Eye Infections/etiology , Eye Infections/therapy , Uveitis/etiology , Adult , Aged , Endophthalmitis/blood , Endophthalmitis/etiology , Endophthalmitis/therapy , Endotoxins/toxicity , Eye Infections/blood , Gentamicins/therapeutic use , Humans , Intestinal Diseases/microbiology , Iridocyclitis/blood , Iridocyclitis/etiology , Iridocyclitis/therapy , Lipopolysaccharides/blood , Luminol/analogs & derivatives , Middle Aged , Phthalazines/therapeutic use , Treatment Outcome , Uveitis/blood , Uveitis/therapyABSTRACT
Hepatocyte derived C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive indicator for inflammatory or infectious processes in a variety of tissues. As several other plasma proteins it is regarded as part of the acute phase response to a variety of tissue damage. CRP is commonly used in general medicine as a tool for the follow-up of especially bacterial infections. However, it has not been widely used in ophthalmology. In the present study CRP values in serum samples from 51 patients with various acute ocular diseases were determined semiquantitatively. High CRP levels were found most frequently in patients with either preseptal cellulitis (83.3%) or endophthalmitis (25.8%) whereas in the serum of patients with keratitis and uveitis, CRP exceeded 20 mg/l in only 18.7% of the cases. In a control group of 10 patients with retinal detachment the mean CRP level was 2.3 mg/l (SD +/- 0.98 mg/ml). The clinical significance and the prognostic value of CRP determinations during ocular diseases are discussed.
