Cytomegalovirus uveitis in HIV-infected patients: the main clinical forms

Effective treatment of HIV-infected patients has changed the previous view of the clinical picture of cytomegalovirus uveitis (CMV uveitis). Purpose : to determine the prevalence and structure of clinical forms of CMV uveitis in HIV-infected patients. Material and methods . 66 patients (97 eyes), aged 39.6 ± 3.91, were diagnosed with stage 4c HIV infection. In 35 patients (53%), the duration of infection exceeded 5 years, in 13 patients (19.7%), it exceeded 10 years, and another 13 patients (19.7%) had the condition for over 15 years. The ophthalmological follow-up of patients diagnosed with CMV uveitis ranged from 6 months to 13 years (the median of 45.5 months). Results . By the time CMV uveitis was detected, the median CD4 cell count was 34 cells/μL (the norm being 570–1100 cells/μL). The content of whole blood CMV DNA was 2.43 lg copies/10 5 cells. The main form of the disease was chorioretinitis, diffuse and generalized forms of the disease were diagnosed in 68.0% of cases. In predicting visual acuity, the leading regression criterion was the clinical form of the disease. Conclusion . Diffuse and generalized forms of the disease prevailed in clinical practice. The prevalence of chorioretinal lesion determined visual acuity, which in 39.2% of the eyes met the criteria for blindness according to the WHO classification (1977)