Endothelin- I Serum Concentration in Pediatric Chronic Idiopathic Uveitis

Purpose: The aim of our study was to determine endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentration in chronic idiopathic uveitis in children and adolescents depending on anatomical location and grade of inflammation. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 17 patients with chronic idiopathic uveitis and 22 healthy controls. Concentration of ET-1 in serum was determined using a commercially available ELISA kit. The concentration of C reactive protein (CRP) in serum was determined by immunoturbidimetric method using CRP4 reagent kit (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). Results: Statistically significant difference between ET-1 concentration in patients with chronic idiopathic uveitis and controls was found 1.33 (1.22; 1.48) vs 1.93 (1.1; 3.11), p = 0.008). No correlations were found between ET-1 concentration and age, either in chronic idiopathic uveitis patients or controls. Nine out of 17 patients presented with anterior uveitis, 5 with posterior and 3 with panuveitis. There were no differences in ET-1 concentration between anterior, posterior and panuveitis (p = 0.634), and in terms of grade of inflammation. Conclusion: ET-1 expression is disturbed in pediatric chronic idiopathic uveitis irrespective of the anatomical location and grade of inflammation. Lower expression of ET-1 plays a crucial role in disturbed vascular tone control and can result in permanent visual impairment in chronic non-infectious uveitis.

Automated summary

This study aimed to determine endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentration in pediatric chronic idiopathic uveitis based on anatomical location and grade of inflammation. The results showed a significant difference in ET-1 concentration between patients with chronic idiopathic uveitis and healthy controls, with lower expression of ET-1 potentially leading to permanent visual impairment.