Association between advanced glycation end products and uveitis/scleritis activity in patients with active immune-mediated ocular inflammatory diseases

To investigate for association between skin autofluorescence (SAF) advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and uveitis/scleritis activity in systemic inflammatory disease-related active non-infectious uveitis/scleritis patients.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Siriraj Hospital during October 2019 to March 2020. AGEs were measured by SAF method in systemic immune-related disease patients with active uveitis/scleritis, and those results were compared with those of healthy age-matched controls.

Thirty-one active non-infectious uveitis/scleritis patients and 31 age-matched controls were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 40.0 ± 12.8 years, and most were female (55.0%). The most common associated systemic immune-related disease was Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (n = 14). Mean SAF AGE level in the study group compared to the control group was 2.38 ± 0.66 arbitrary units (AU) versus 2.58 ± 0.56 AU, respectively (p = 0.20). Multivariate analysis showed decreased SAF AGE level to be significantly associated with active ocular inflammation, (odds ratio: 0.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.00004–0.81; p = 0.04).

SAF AGE level was not so far found to be a reliable biomarker for indicating uveitis/scleritis activity in systemic immune-related disease patients with active ocular inflammation.

Thai Clinical Trials Registry, https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/. (Reg. No. TCTR20200114004, registered date 01/01/2020, beginning date of the trial 10/01/2019).