Presenting Features, Treatment and Clinical Outcomes of Cytomegalovirus Retinitis: Non-HIV Patients Vs HIV Patients

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To compare clinical features, complications, and outcomes of CMV retinitis in non-HIV immunocompromised patients with HIV infected patients.

Methods

A retrospective study of patients diagnosed with CMV retinitis with or without HIV infection was performed.

Results: Thirty-five eyes from 27 patients (median follow up 26 months) were included. Six patients had HIV infection, the others were immunocompromised from a range of causes. The baseline visual acuity (VA) was similar in the two groups. Prevalence of different types of retinitis (fulminant/indolent) was similar in the two groups. Presence of vitreous haze ≥1+ (p = .041), presence of arteritis, (p = .016) and widespread vascular occlusion (p = .003) were more common in the non-HIV group.

Conclusion

CMV retinitis can present with different features depending on the cause of immunocompromise. Evidence of intraocular inflammation such as vitritis, retinal arteritis, and vascular occlusions was more common in HIV-negative subjects.

Keywords:

• CMV retinitis
• cytomegalovirus retinitis
• HIV infection
• immunocompromised patients
• infectious uveitis

Competing interest statement

The authors have no competing interest in the products mentioned in this paper.

Contributor statement

All authors listed here are qualified for authorship. This is to certify all the authors gained credit by fulfilling substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition and analysis of data; drafting and revising the article and approval of the version to be published.

Data sharing

All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.

Patient consent and ethics approval

This is a retrospective study which does not contain medical information or clinical photos of identifiable living individuals. This retrospective study has been approved by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) clinical research committee (CREC) with the reference number: CRE Ref. No. 2018.277. and contact email: [email protected]

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any Funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.