title: Retinochoroiditis in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Findings in consecutive post-mortem examinations.
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.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmic Pathology and Oncology Service, St Erik's Eye Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seregard
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D017726:Cytomegalovirus Retinitis / Q000473:pathology; D015817:Eye Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D014126:Toxoplasmosis, Ocular / Q000473:pathology