Risk factors for the long-term prognosis and recurrence of HIV-negative cytomegalovirus retinitis in North China.

Aim: To demonstrate the clinical features, the risk factors, the visual prognosis and the recurrence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis (CMVR) in HIV-negative patients.

Methods: HIV-negative patients with CMVR were involved in this study. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), CMV-DNA load in aqueous and/or serum samples, treatment, follow-up time, recurrence and complications were recorded. Ocular characteristics were evaluated by fundus photographs. Association between ocular factors and visual prognosis were analyzed by regression analysis.

Results: Twenty-five eyes of 16 patients were included. All 25 eyes underwent intravitreal injections of anti-viral agents. The mean logMAR BCVA improved from 0.94±0.98 (0.98-0.78) initially to 0.77±0.73 (0.82-0.68) at last visit, but not significantly. After antiviral treatment, the aqueous CMV DNA load significantly reduced to (3.42±1.47)×10 copies/mL (=0.001), compared with (2.51±3.11)×10 copies/mL at baseline. Macular involvement ( =0.475, =0.049) and initial visual acuity ( =0.475, =0.017) were significantly associated with the poor visual prognosis (BCVA<20/400). The extent of retinal lesions ( =0.064, =0.04) was significant associated with the risk of recurrence of CMVR.

Conclusion: Intravitreal injection of anti-viral agents offers a safe and effective treatment for CMVR. Macular involvement and initial visual acuity significantly associate with visual prognosis. The extent of retinal lesions is significantly associated with the recurrence of CMVR. These ocular factors can be used as predictive risk factors for long term visual prognosis in HIV-negative CMVR patients.