Immunologic study of nonsyphilitic interstitial keratitis with vestibuloauditory symptoms.

We studied four patients with the clinical entity of nonsyphilitic interstitial keratitis and vestibuloauditory symptoms to determine whether immunologic abnormalities play a role in its pathophysiology. There was no evidence of alteration in nonspecific cell-mediated or humoral immunologic status of any of the patients studied. Three of the four patients had W-17, a histocompatibility antigen that occurs in 3 to 10% of the normal population. All four patients had increased cell-mediated immunity against normal allogenic corneal antigens compared to normal control subjects. There seems to be no apparent generalized alteration of the immune system in this syndrome.