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Systemic ganciclovir is a viable treatment option for CMV retinitis in Africa

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The number of patients with AIDS who subsequently develop cytomegalovirus retinitis is increasing in Africa, and systemic ganciclovir continues to be the treatment of choice, according to a surgeon in South Africa.

Linda Visser, FCS(Ophth) SA, of the University of Natal in Durban, noted that the past 4 years have seen an increase in the number of patients with AIDS now presenting with cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, perhaps as a result of better management of earlier complications of AIDS.

From April 1996 to April 2003 123 eyes of 90 patients were treated with systemic ganciclovir for the treatment of CMV retinitis. A total of 1,566 injections were given, of which 1,391 were administered between January 200 and April 2003. Fifteen patients were on antiretroviral therapy at some point during CMV retinitis treatment. Most patients (75%) had bilateral disease at presentation. Of the 22 patients who presented with unilateral disease, only two developed CMV retinitis in the contralateral eye after treatment was initiated.

The report is published in Journal of Community Eye Health.