Uveitis and central nervous system vasculitis

Vasculitis confined to the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare disease usually characterized by headache and focal neurologic symptoms. Patients with primary vasculitis of the CNS may have symptoms and laboratory findings of systemic disease such as fatigue and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, but by definition, focal inflammation should not be present outside the CNS. We describe 3 patients with uveitis in association with this diagnosis. The recognition of this association adds to the complex differential diagnosis of uveitis in association with CNS disease, and indicates that 'isolated' angiitis of the CNS may display clinical features outside the brain and spinal cord.