SUMMARY
Background:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is the most common ocular infection in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Ganciclovir is used to contrai the spread of CMV.
Purpose:
To investigate the incidence of use of induction and reinduction therapy of ganciclovir in treatment of CMV retinitis in a reference center for ocular complications of AIDS.
Methods:
We evaluated retrospectively 1,100 HIV-infected patients, 407 (37%) with ocular manifestations. From the total, 246 (22.4%) patients presented CMV retinitis.
Results:
Ninety nine (40.2%) patients required an induction therapy of 10 mg/kg/day of ganciclovir for 21 days and the others 147 (59.8%) were using a maintenance therapy of 5 mg/kg/day. Thirty (1 2.2%) patients required a reinduction therapy.
Conclusions:
The relapsed ratio of our patients was significantly lower when compared with literature 66 JABS, D. A.; ENGER, C.; BARTLETT, J. G. - Cytomegalovirus retinitis and acquired immunodeficience syndrome. Arch Ophthalmol, 107: 75-80, 1989.,1212 BUHLES, Jr. W. C.; MASTRE, B. J.; TINKER, A. J.; et al. - Ganciclovir treatment of life or sightthreatening cytomegalovirus infection: Experience in 314 immunocompromised patients. Rev Infect Dis, 10(Suppl3): S 495-503, 1988.. We atribule this ratio to the toxicity, spending time, and, the very inconvenient therapy.
Key-words:
AIDS; Cytomegalovirus; Retinitis; Ganciclovir; Intraocular inflammation