title: [Characteristics of ophthalmic symptoms in the 278 patients with human immunodeficiency virus].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the characteristics of ophthalmic symptoms of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to provide reference for early diagnosis and treatment of HIV.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical data of 278 patients with HIV, including ophthalmic symptoms and general condition collected from September 2002 to July 2004, were analyzed retrospectively. These patients were from the Central African Republic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 278 patients with HIV, 102 had pathologic changes in the eyes and were accompanied with chronic dissipative symptoms and decreased CD4 cell counts. The pathogen of 278 patients with HIV at the initial reception were airway infection (n = 87, 31.3%), digestive tract infection (n = 65, 23.4%), skin symptoms (n = 55, 19.8%), multiple organ failure (n = 51, 18.4%) and ophthalmic symptoms (n = 20, 7.2%). Ophthalmic symptoms manifested as opportunistic infection and sarcoma formation, such as HIV retinopathy, chronic uveitis, external ophthalmoplegia, ocular herpes, and Kaposi's sarcoma in the eyelid. HIV-related retinopathy was not specific, which manifested as retinal hemorrhage, cotton wool spots, vascular occlusion, retinal necrosis, retinal detachment and ocular nerve atrophy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many kinds of ophthalmic symptoms might appear in patients with HIV. Severe retinopathy and uveitis are the main causes of ablepsia. Because of neglecting the ophthalmic symptoms in the early stage, many HIV patients suffer from decreased visual acuity, which may severely affect the quality of their lives. Consequently, ophthalmologists should pay more attention to patients in the early stage of HIV.
authors: Eye Center, Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Hangzhou Teachers College, Hangzhou 310015, China. chenshu1954@hotmail.com
authors: Shu
authors: S
authors: Chen
authors: Georges
authors: G
authors: Yaya
authors: Léon
authors: L
authors: Kobangue
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Mazi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult