hey mike, question for you

[kingfisher610]

Sorry its been so long since I have been arround. The navy has seen fit to send me on a carear course which has been wonderful kind of because for the first time since I have been struch with Iritis I have done something to advance my carear. Though it may be snuffed out at any time because of the iritis. That being said, I am now done my course but back on ship. However I am still unable to sail. My question is what is the incidence rate of Iritis. I have got wind that a second person on my ship has reccently been diagnosed with Irits. So that makes two of us within six months, on the same ship of 250. We have had no contact or met each other. Just curious, seems fishy please let me know, may make an important difference to me.

Thanks as always

Steve

[Mike Bartolatz]

Hi Steve,
new cases are about 15 per 100,000 those active are about 30 per 100,000.

there are many viruses that can trigger iritis. ones that cause GI distress are common. H pylori for example has been frequently found in fluid of the aqueous chamber of the eye (front part). this pathogen also causes ulcers and perhaps heart disease.
herpes sx is common in the form of cold sores which can also cause iritis as can various Venereal diseases. Chlamydia T for example as well as gonorrhea, Syphilis etc.
chlamydia T is the leading cause of blindness in the third world countries. here in the USA, it can cause it but it is usually treated early on to stop it before it reaches the eye.
if your ship went to the middle east, things like shigilla (sp) can cause it most often acquired through contaminated water. I put a link to information on information from the US Military showing common causes of illness from GI tract and other pathogens that you might be interested in.

with over 85 different things from viruses to bacteria and yeasts, fungi and molds causing uveitis it is difficult to go into any detail on this topic. then there is the HLA B27 antigen that your shipmate should get tested for. he/she would be most welcome to join us here if you can make contact. a mini support group on your ship might make the other person's life go a bit better.

I'm glad they haven't 86ed you.

wish you the very best,
Mike

[kingfisher610]

by my math if you divide that 15 new cases per 100,000. That works out to be a case per 6666.6 people. There is just barely that many people in our entire navy on this coast. Further more, there are two of us on our ship alone (crew 0f 250) that have had this condition in the year. On top of which I am aware of at least 3 other cases of Iritis, not including those on our ship. Meaning there has been at least five people diagonosed with Iritis this year alone in a navy of arround 6000. Something seems fishy. Trust me, I am from Nova Scotia, I know fishy!!!! Am going to do some poking arround and try and get in touch with some of the other affected souls. I would be curious to hear thier experiences and will certainly pass this web site on to them. Thanks again Mike, Your a God send.

Best wishes

Steve

[kingfisher610]

by my math if you divide that 15 new cases per 100,000. That works out to be a case per 6666.6 people. There is just barely that many people in our entire navy on this coast. Further more, there are two of us on our ship alone (crew 0f 250) that have had this condition in the year. On top of which I am aware of at least 3 other cases of Iritis, not including those on our ship. Meaning there has been at least five people diagonosed with Iritis this year alone in a navy of arround 6000. Something seems fishy. Trust me, I am from Nova Scotia, I know fishy!!!! Am going to do some poking arround and try and get in touch with some of the other affected souls. I would be curious to hear thier experiences and will certainly pass this web site on to them. Thanks again Mike, Your a God send.

Best wishes

Steve

[Mike Bartolatz]

this is considered to be a rare disease process no matter what the cause and some forms of uveitis are much rarer than this. for instance my form of uveitis known as pars planitis (I had iritis too) occurs in about 2 per 100,000 people.

in the military, deployed to third world countries, other viral and bacterial and other pathogens that cause uveitis should be considered besides the ones such as as VD that occur frequently in that population. your location on the coast of Canada might also suggest other relationships such as molds, cryptosporidium for example as a rare trigger. if iris atrophy or holes are seen in the iris then herpes Sx might be considered or syphilis. Chlamydyia T is also a cause of uveitis as are syphilis and gonorrhea. another thing transmitted sexually is yertsina which can cause reactive arthritis/Reiter's syndrome. plantar fascitis and achilles tendon pain with urethritis and iritis occurs in Reiter's syndrome. it can also be related to the HLA B27 antigen. arthritis develops in large joints and the spine similar to that of ankylosing spondylitis.

if travel to equatorial waters occurs, then things like west nile virus, malaria, rift valley fever, ESPECIALLY Chlamydia T if one has engaged in sex , coccoidomycosis (sp) etc should be considered and this is why I put up the article on things seen in the US military since desert Storm occured which can cause uveitis.

I don't know if whipple's disease occurs in your part of Canada ( it occurs in parts of the eastern USA from Boston south and East into Kentucky. it starts with Stomach problems and then causes uveitis.

Take care,
Mike