Cytomegalovirus as a cause of hypertensive anterior uveitis in immunocompetent patients

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study are to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with anterior hypertensive uveitis and to compare the characteristics between patients in cytomegalovirus (CMV)-positive and CMV-negative groups in their aqueous humor samples. Immunocompetent patients (n = 42) with a history of chronic and/or recurrent hypertensive anterior uveitis underwent ophthalmic examination and serological tests. Among the 42 patients with hypertensive anterior uveitis, aqueous humor sampling was performed in 21, and they were analyzed for viral deoxyribonucleic acids using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The average age of the 42 patients with hypertensive anterior uveitis was 57.6 years, and 29 (69.0 %) of the subjects were males. Of the patients, 22 (52.4 %) underwent glaucoma surgery, and the average corneal endothelial cell counts were 1908 cells/mm(2). Among the 21 patients who underwent an aqueous sampling, 6 were positive for CMV-DNA, while 15 were negative. The frequency of glaucoma surgery was similar between groups (CMV positive vs. CMV negative, 66.0 vs. 66.0 %, P = 0.701). However, 66.7 % of the CMV-positive group underwent glaucoma tube shunt surgery, whereas 80 % of the CMV-negative group underwent trabeculectomy or received an ExPRESS glaucoma filtration device (Alcon, Fort Worth, TX) for glaucoma surgery (P = 0.095). The corneal endothelial cell counts were significantly lower in the CMV-positive group (CMV positive vs. CMV negative, 1245 ± 560 vs. 1981 ± 387 cells/mm(2); P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: CMV was found to be an etiological factor in patients with hypertensive anterior uveitis in Korea. Special caution is needed for patients with CMV-induced hypertensive anterior uveitis, considering its adverse effect on the corneal endothelium. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12348-016-0100-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.