title: Long-term impact of treated congenital toxoplasmosis on quality of life and visual performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Long-term evolution of congenital toxoplasmosis is not documented. We assessed the outcome of treated congenital toxoplasmosis in a cohort of adult individuals who had undergone ante- and postnatal treatment to provide information for pediatricians and parents on the evolution of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a questionnaire study on 126 adults with congenital toxoplasmosis (mean age: 22.2 years; age range: 18-31 years) monitored regularly until the time of inclusion. The main outcome measures were quality of life (Psychological General Well-Being Index) and visual function (VF14 questionnaire), and the outcomes were correlated with disease-specific factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 102 patients (80.9%) who were finally included in the study, 12 (11.8%) presented neurologic effects and 60 (58.8%) manifested ocular lesions; in the latter category, 13 individuals (12.7%) had reduced visual function. The overall global quality-of-life score (74.7 ± 14.2) was close to the expected normal range for the general population (73.7 ± 15.3). Overall, visual function was only slightly impaired (M = 97.3; 95% confidence interval, 95.8-98.8). Although disease-independent critical life circumstances were associated with a reduced Psychological General Well-Being Index, this index was not influenced by any of the clinical characteristics of congenital toxoplasmosis. Neurologic pathologies, reduced visual acuity, foveal location of the retinal lesion, and squinting contributed to decreased visual function at follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data reveal that treated congenital toxoplasmosis has little effect on the quality of life and visual function of the affected individuals. These encouraging findings may help to alleviate the anxiety of affected individuals and their parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Peyron
authors.forename: Justus G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Garweg
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallon
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Descloux
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rolland
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014125:Toxoplasmosis, Congenital / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents