Iritis
Basics
Description
Description
- Inflammation of anterior uveal tract
- Iritis, anterior uveitis, and iridocyclitis are synonymous
- Iritis secondary to trauma is also called traumatic iritis
- Acute and chronic presentations
Etiology
Etiology
- Most cases are idiopathic, but may be traumatic or associated with numerous infectious and noninfectious systemic diseases
- Most prevalent in 30–50-yr old patients
- M:F distribution is equal
- May be acute or chronic
- HLA B27 haplotype causative in up to 50% of cases- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Reactive Arthritis/Reiter syndrome
- Psoriatic arthritis
 
- Other noninfectious systemic diseases include the following:- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Behçet disease
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
- Kawasaki syndrome
- Interstitial nephritis
- IgA nephropathy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Drug reactions
- Sjögren syndrome
 
- Infectious conditions include the following:- Viral:- Herpes simplex virus, type 1 (most common)
- Rubella
- Measles
- Adenovirus
- Epstein–Barr virus
- Herpes zoster virus
- HIV
- Mumps
- Varicella
- Cytomegalovirus
- West Nile virus
- Chikungunya
- Dengue
- Zika
 
- Bacterial:- Tuberculosis
- Syphilis
- Pertussis
- Brucellosis
- Lyme disease
- Chlamydia
- Rickettsia
- Gonorrhea
- Leprosy
- Leptospirosis
- Cat scratch disease
 
- Fungal
 
- Viral:
- Malignancies include the following:- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Multiple sclerosis
- Malignant melanoma
- Retinoblastoma
 
- Other causes include the following:- Cocaine use
- Exposure to pesticides
- Corneal foreign body
- Blunt trauma
- Postoperative complication
 
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Iritis." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307232/all/Iritis. 
Iritis. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307232/all/Iritis. Accessed October 31, 2025.
Iritis. (2020). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (6th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307232/all/Iritis
Iritis [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. [cited 2025 October 31]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307232/all/Iritis.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY  -  ELEC
T1  -  Iritis
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ED  -  Barkin,Adam Z,
ED  -  Shayne,Philip,
ED  -  Rosen,Peter,
ED  -  Schaider,Jeffrey J,
ED  -  Barkin,Roger M,
ED  -  Hayden,Stephen R,
ED  -  Wolfe,Richard E,
BT  -  5-Minute Emergency Consult
UR  -  https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307232/all/Iritis
PB  -  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ET  -  6
DB  -  Emergency Central
DP  -  Unbound Medicine
ER  -  

 5-Minute Emergency Consult
5-Minute Emergency Consult

