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Multifocal choroiditis most common ocular feature of West Nile virus

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A benign course of multifocal choroiditis is the most common ocular symptom of West Nile virus, a study found.

Clement K. Chan, MD, FACS, and colleagues at Loma Linda University, Calif., retrospectively studied 14 eyes of seven West Nile virus patients with eye-related manifestations of the disease. The most prevalent findings included multifocal chorioretinal lesions in 12 eyes (85.7%), retinal hemorrhages in seven eyes (50%) and vitritis in six eyes (42.9%), according to the study.

The researchers also found chorioretinal linear streaks in four eyes (28.6%), perivascular sheathing and vasculitis in four eyes (28.6%), narrowed retinal vessels in four eyes (28.6%), disc edema in four eyes (28/6%), optic atrophy in two eyes (14.3%), vascular occlusion in two eyes (14.3%) and sixth nerve palsy in one eye (7.1%), according to the study.

Less frequent ocular lesions, such as optic neuritis and occlusive vasculitis, are likely to induce permanent visual damage, the authors said. Diabetic patients older than 50 years are also more vulnerable to the severe symptoms of West Nile virus, they noted.

The study is published in the September issue of Ophthalmology.