Introduction
Vogt Koyanagi Harada disease (VKH) is not only an autoimmune
vision-threatening disease that is frequently characterized by bilateral
granulomatous panuveitis, but also a multisystemic inflammatory disorder
which is commonly accompanied by neurological, auditory, and
integumentary symptoms, such as headache, tinnitus, deafness, alopecia
and so on. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of VKH are unknown,
considerable progress over the last few decades has been made on the
subject. Many hypotheses have been reported, most of which were genetic
predisposition and viral infections. It is now widely accepted that
virus may trigger the autoimmune response to melanin through a mechanism
of molecular mimicry in VKH disease. When summing up the studies
reviewed, various infective triggers such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
and cytomegalovirus (CMV) have been reported to be involved in the start
of VKH disease1.
With the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
(SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) outbreak, it has been reported that the COVID-19 is
associated with ocular signs, most of which were conjunctivitis, retinal
vein occlusion and optic neuritis2,3. However, it is
worth noting that the case of VKH disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 was
rare and the specific association is still unclear. Thus, we report a
case of bilateral panuveitis resembling VKH disease following SARS-CoV-2
infection, and review current pertinent literature to analyse some
potential interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and VKH disease.