HLA-A29-positive Birdshot Chorioretinopathy in a Hispanic Patient.

OBJECTIVE

To report the first documented case of HLA-A29(+) birdshot chorioretinopathy in a Hispanic patient.

METHODS

A 62-year-old female from Mexico presented with a 15-year history of progressive nyctalopia, floaters, and decreasing vision. She carried multiple previous diagnoses, including posterior vitreous detachment and macular edema. Both fundi showed characteristic creamy ill-defined lesions of birdshot chorioretinopathy, mostly atrophic, with evidence of old periphlebitis and arteriolar attenuation. Bilateral macular atrophy resulted in compromised visual acuity. Workup revealed positive HLA-A29 and was negative for TB and syphilis.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite having been reported almost exclusively in non-Hispanic Caucasians, HLA-A29-positive birdshot chorioretinopathy may occur in Hispanic patients. This patient's ethnicity may have resulted in a significant delay in diagnosis.