Objectives: Uveitis is an eye disease that affects humans worldwide. Inflammation of the uveal tract is termed uveitis. Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is one of many factors that may be involved in abnormalities such as liver and lung disease, inflammatory joint diseases, and inflammatory eye diseases. In this study, the role of AAT in uveitis is analyzed.
Design and methods: AAT phenotyping and serum-trypsin inhibitory capacity (S-TIC) experiments were performed on 103 patients who were referred to the ALZAHRA eye center in Zahedan (southeast of Iran). The same experiments were performed on 167 people who did not suffer from any eye or systemic diseases and served as a control group.
Results: The results revealed that the frequency of M1S, M2S, M1Z, and MV phenotypes were significantly higher in uveitis patients (P < 0.001). There was no difference in AAT phenotype frequencies between various types of uveitis (P = 0.1).
Conclusion: AAT deficiency appears to be a risk factor for uveitis in southeast Iran. More investigation is needed to establish potential benefits of AAT phenotyping tests and AAT therapy in the diagnosis and treatment of uveitis cases with unclear etiology.