Retinochoroiditis in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A number of opportunistic agents may cause retinitis or retinochoroiditis in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Minimal consecutive data is available on the histopathologically confirmed prevalence of these ocular infections. A total of 48 consecutive patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome‐related death underwent autopsy and had their eyes submitted for histopathological examination. Conventional light microscopy combined with immunohistochemistry revealed cytomegalovirus retinitis in 15 patients, toxoplasma gonddi retinochoroiditis in 3 patients and mycobacterial choroiditis in one individual with some infections being coexistent. Clinical examination prior to death was highly accurate in detecting cytomegalovirus retinitis, but failed to determine all non‐cytomegalovirus causes of retinochoroiditis. Ten of 15 patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis had associated non‐cular cytomegalovirus infections, most often in the brain and adrenals. After clinical detection of cytomegalovirus retinitis the median survival time was 5.5 months, not adversely affected by additional non‐ocular cytomegalovirus infection.