METHODS: Case series of three patients with syphilitic uveitis who were managed in Hospital USM.

RESULTS: Three patients were diagnosed to have uveitis secondary to Syphilis. All three patients were not known to have syphilis prior to presentation but have positive history of sexual promiscuity. All patients presented with progressive blurring of vision for average of one-month duration. Two of them have association with fever, ocular pain and floaters. Visual acuity at presentation ranges from 6/12 to hand movement. Mild anterior uveitis (non-granulomatous), vitritis and papillitis were presence in all the patients. First patient has multifocal chorioretinitis with exudative retinal detachment. The second patient presented with exudative retinal detachment while the third patient has chorioretinitis only. All the patients were treated with intramuscular benzyl-penicillin 2.4 MU weekly for 4 weeks and two of them received oral doxycycline 200mg twice daily for 3 months. The uveitis responded well to the treatment and two of them showed dramatic visual improvement from 6/120 to 6/21 and 6/12 to 6/6. The one with worse outcome was confirmed to have positive retroviral.

METHODS: Serum IGF-1 levels were measured in 25 pregnant diabetic patients and 25 pregnant non-diabetic patients who were matched for age, ethnicity, parity and period of gestation. Fundus examination was performed in both groups at 28, 32 and 36 weeks of gestation.

RESULTS: The serum IGF-I level was significantly elevated in pregnant diabetics compared to pregnant non-diabetics (366±199μg/L vs 184±89μg/L, (P=0.0001) at 24 weeks, 535±251μg/L vs 356±89μg/L, (P=0.007) at 32 weeks and 404±166μg/L vs 264±113μg/L, (P=0.003) at 36 weeks of gestation). The pregnant diabetics with established diabetes had significantly higher IGF-1 level than gestational diabetes at 28, 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. The serum IGF-I level in pregnant diabetics with retinopathy was significantly higher than that in those without retinopathy at all periods of gestation.