Evaluation of cytomegalovirus retinitis management. Outcome of four years of cytomegalovirus therapy

Seven Years of HAART Impact on Ophthalmic Management of HIV-Infected Patients

PURPOSE

The widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has changed the clinical picture of HIV-associated eye disease. We evaluated the incidence of ocular manifestations of HIV infection since the introduction of HAART.

METHODS

Between January 1996 and December 2002, we examined 539 HIV-infected patients in our hospital. Follow-up of the patients was performed in case of ophthalmologic symptoms, regardless of current immunologic status, or for screening.

RESULTS

A total of 217 patients (40.3%) had HIV-associated eye disease. Of these patients, 42.0% had no eye symptoms. Fifty-eight (10.8%) of the 539 patients had cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, most of whom had CMV retinitis before receiving HAART. Four patients developed immune-recovery uveitis. A total of 145 patients (26.9%) had HIV-related microangiopathy and 96 (17.8%) had dry-eye syndrome.

CONCLUSION

The introduction of HAART had a major impact on the medical history of patients with HIV-related eye disease with improved survival time and decreased morbidity.

Using conjunctival swab with polymerase chain reaction to aid diagnosis of cytomegalovirus retinitis in AIDS patients

Conjunctival swabs were used in combination with polymerase chain reactions (PCR) or virus culture to aid to confirm the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in AIDS patients. Based on ophthalmoscopic findings, 13 AIDS patients were diagnosed as having CMV retinitis and treated with systemic ganciclovir from January 1997 to December 1998. Nine of 13 AIDS patients with CMV retinitis were found to be positive for CMV DNA by using a conjunctival swab with PCR (CS-PCR). CMV was also isolated from the conjunctival swab culture in 2 AIDS patients with CMV retinitis. Following 1 month of systemic ganciclovir treatment, except for 1 patient who had disease progression and remained positive for CMV DNA by using CS-PCR, 12 patients were negative for CMV with a concordant lesion regression. Results of this study also indicate that this CS-PCR method is valuable for confirming the diagnosis of CMV retinitis and monitoring the ganciclovir effect on the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients.