Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul;53(5):516-522.
doi: 10.1111/ceo.14503. Epub 2025 Feb 9.

Seasonal Variation in HLA-B27 Associated Uveitis

Priya D Samalia  1   2   3 , James Brodie  1 , Joanne L Sims  1 , Rachael L Niederer  1   4
Affiliations

Seasonal Variation in HLA-B27 Associated Uveitis

Priya D Samalia et al. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Background: To examine if there was a monthly variation in HLA-B27-associated uveitis.

Methods: Retrospective review of all individuals presenting to a single centre with HLA-B27-associated uveitis from 2009 to 2020.

Results: 577 participants with HLA-B27-associated uveitis were included. The median age at presentation was 40.4 years (IQR 31.1-51.4) and 356 (61.7%) were male. 141 (24.4%) participants were diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. The incidence of HLA-B27 uveitis was greatest in August (winter) and lowest in March (autumn). On univariate analysis, there was an inverse relationship between HLA-B27-associated uveitis incidence and mean air temperature (β-2.704, p < 0.001) and sunlight hours (β-0.221, p = 0.003), and a positive relationship between uveitis incidence and rainfall (β 0.324, p = 0.006) and humidity (β 1.741, p = 0.006). On multivariate analysis, there was an inverse relationship with temperature (β-4.846, p = 0.002) and a positive association with humidity (β 2.033, p = 0.008). On multivariate analysis, the impact of rainfall shifted to negative (β-0.446, p = 0.017) and sunlight hours lost significance. The monthly effect was more pronounced for non-Caucasian ethnicities and for those without ankylosing spondylitis.

Conclusion: In New Zealand, HLA-B27-associated uveitis episodes are influenced by monthly changes with higher incidence in winter months.

Keywords: HLA‐B27; ankylosing spondylitis; seasonality; uveitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Variation in HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis by month. 1 = January, 2 = February, 3 = March, 4 = April, 5 = May, 6 = June, 7 = July, 8 = August, 9 = September, 10 = October, 11 = November, 12 = December.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis incidence and weather parameters of (A) mean air temperature, (B) sunlight, (C) humidity, (D) rainfall.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Variation in HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis incidence by month for ethnicity (A) Caucasian, (B) Asian, (C) Pacific Peoples, (D) Māori. 1 = January, 2 = February, 3 = March, 4 = April, 5 = May, 6 = June, 7 = July, 8 = August, 9 = September, 10 = October, 11 = November, 12 = December.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Monthly variation in HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis in subjects (A) with ankylosing spondylitis and without (B) underlying ankylosing spondylitis. 1 = January, 2 = February, 3 = March, 4 = April, 5 = May, 6 = June, 7 = July, 8 = August, 9 = September, 10 = October, 11 = November, 12 = December.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chang J. H., McCluskey P. J., and Wakefield D., “Acute Anterior Uveitis and HLA‐B27,” Survey of Ophthalmology 50, no. 4 (2005): 364–388, 10.1016/j.survophthal.2005.04.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wakefield D., Clarke D., and McCluskey P., “Recent Developments in HLA B27 Anterior Uveitis,” Frontiers in Immunology 11 (2021): 608134, 10.3389/fimmu.2020.608134. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Khan M. A., “HLA‐B27 and Its Pathogenic Role,” Journal of Clinical Rheumatology 14, no. 1 (2008): 50–52, 10.1097/RHU.0b013e3181637a38. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rothova A., van Veenedaal W. G., Linssen A., et al., “Clinical Features of Acute Anterior Uveitis,” American Journal of Ophthalmology 103, no. 2 (1987): 137–145, 10.1016/s0002-9394(14)74218-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zagora S. L., Symes R., Yeung A., Yates W., Wakefield D., and McCluskey P. J., “Etiology and Clinical Features of Ocular Inflammatory Diseases in a Tertiary Referral Centre in Sydney, Australia,” Ocular Immunology and Inflammation 25 (2017): S107–S114, 10.1080/09273948.2016.1247871. - DOI - PubMed

Substances