Comparison of Clinical and Immunological Features of Para- and Non-Paraneoplastic Autoimmune Retinopathy in Chinese - A Series of 48 Cases.

Purpose: To characterize and compare clinical and immunological features of para(p)-autoimmune retinopathy (AIR) and non-para(np)-AIR and to assess the clinical significance of the presence of serum anti-retinal antibodies (ARAs).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 48 Chinese patients with p-AIR or np-AIR who took comprehensive ophthalmic examinations and lab tests of the presence of serum ARAs.
Results: p-AIR patients differed from np-AIR patients in terms of disease progression, ocular inflammation, findings of OCT, FFA, and presence of ARAs. No significant difference was found in the band number of serum ARAs between AIR patients and healthy controls. The prevalence of antibodies to recoverin and ɑ-enolase in the sera of p-AIR was significantly higher than that of the healthy individuals.
Conclusion: While having many similar clinical signs, patients with p-AIR or np-AIR nevertheless displayed unique characteristics. Detection of ARAs subtypes, rather than their quantity, may be helpful in evaluating the conditions in the verified instances.