NEUROOPHTHALMOLOGY OF ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

NEUROOPHTHALMOLOGY OF ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

AIDS and the Nervous System. Rosenblum ML et al, eds. New York, Raven Press, p. 103-20, 1988.. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/89648465
Holland GN; Kreiger AE; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Inst., Univ. of; California, Los Angeles Sch. of Medicine, 800 Westwood Plaza,; Suite 3-229, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Abstract: Ophthalmic diseases, including opportunistic infections, vascular disease and neoplasms, are common in patients (pts) with AIDS. Several clinical and autopsy series have shown that 40% to 94% of these pts have clinically apparent ocular or neuroophthalmic disorders. The ocular disorders associated with AIDS fall into four major categories: (1) retinal vascular diseases (cotton-wool spots, other vasculopathies, and ischemic maculopathy); (2) opportunistic ocular infections (cytomegalovirus retinopathy, ocular toxoplasmosis, Candida chorioretinitis, herpes simplex virus retinopathy and keratitis, and herpes zoster ophthalmicus); (3) neuroophthalmic disorders (visual field defects, papilledema, and cranial nerve palsies); and (4) neoplasms of the orbit. The visual disturbances that result from the vascular and infectious diseases of the retina and from neuroophthalmic abnormalities add greatly to the morbidity of AIDS. Ocular infections may indicate the presence of tissue-invasive infections elsewhere in the body, and neuroophthalmic abnormalities may suggest the presence of intracranial and intraorbital disease. Clinicians should be alert to complaints of subtle visual disturbances, which may result from cranial nerve palsies, optic nerve disease, and disorders of the intracranial visual pathways, and which may occur in the absence of other neurological signs. Once a neuroophthalmic abnormality is suspected, pts should be referred immediately for a complete neurological evaluation. Early visual symptoms may signal the development of retinal infections and should prompt a complete ocular examination. Treatment of intraocular infections in pts with AIDS is frequently unsuccessful. (37 Refs)

Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/COMPLICATIONS/*PATHOLOGY Adult Case Report Cytomegalovirus Infections/ETIOLOGY/PATHOLOGY Fluorescein Angiography Human Male Middle Age Opportunistic Infections/ETIOLOGY/*PATHOLOGY Retinal Diseases/ETIOLOGY/*PATHOLOGY Retinal Vessels/PATHOLOGY Risk Factors Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/ETIOLOGY/PATHOLOGY Vision Disorders/ETIOLOGY/PATHOLOGY MONOGRAPH REVIEW, TUTORIAL REVIEW

890130
M8910543

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1989. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1989. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .