Ocular manifestations of HIV infection at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa. 2023

I Ismail, and M Venter, and S Ismail, and N Ally
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. ibismiles@ymail.com.

The pattern of HIV-associated eye disease has changed with ongoing advancements in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). HIV-infected individuals now live longer, enabling us to observe the long-term effects of HIV and HAART on the eye. There are few recent studies on HIV-related ocular disease in sub-Saharan Africa. To describe the ocular manifestations of HIV in patients attending the Nthabiseng HIV clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 and 2022 using convenience sampling of patients at the HIV clinic. The participants' clinical history was taken, their files were reviewed, and they underwent ocular examination. Correlation between eyes was managed by taking disease in one eye as the presence of disease in the participant. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participant characteristics. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the odds ratio (OR) of developing HIV-associated ocular diseases, and a p-value of <0.05 was used to define statistical significance. There were 182 participants (139 females and 43 males), with a mean (standard deviation) age of 48.9 (10.6) years. The most common anterior segment diagnoses were conjunctival microangiopathy (34.6%), pinguecula (31.3%) and cataracts (30.2%), while the most common posterior segment finding was peripheral retinal scarring with features in keeping of previous cytomegalovirus retinitis (24.2%). Notably, only 1.1% of patients had HIV retinopathy. A CD4 count <200 cells/μL showed an increased OR for cataracts (OR 4.24; p=0.003) and any anterior segment diagnoses (OR 10.05; p=0.029), while a CD4 count ≥200 cells/μL showed an increased risk of conjunctival microangiopathy (OR 2.14; p=0.017). With the advent of HAART, ocular manifestations of HIV are changing and the incidence of severe ocular opportunistic infections and HIV retinopathy has decreased precipitously. Although this study has shown that patients with a CD4 count <200 cells/μL are at increased risk of developing anterior ocular manifestations of HIV, including cataracts, these diseases are relatively innocuous or easily treatable. Routine ocular screening of HIV patients seems to be substantially less important now than it was in the pre-HAART era.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D012164 Retinal Diseases Diseases involving the RETINA. Disease, Retinal,Diseases, Retinal,Retinal Disease
D002386 Cataract Partial or complete opacity on or in the lens or capsule of one or both eyes, impairing vision or causing blindness. The many kinds of cataract are classified by their morphology (size, shape, location) or etiology (cause and time of occurrence). (Dorland, 27th ed) Cataract, Membranous,Lens Opacities,Pseudoaphakia,Cataracts,Cataracts, Membranous,Lens Opacity,Membranous Cataract,Membranous Cataracts,Opacities, Lens,Opacity, Lens,Pseudoaphakias
D003430 Cross-Sectional Studies Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time. Disease Frequency Surveys,Prevalence Studies,Analysis, Cross-Sectional,Cross Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Survey,Surveys, Disease Frequency,Analyses, Cross Sectional,Analyses, Cross-Sectional,Analysis, Cross Sectional,Cross Sectional Analyses,Cross Sectional Studies,Cross Sectional Survey,Cross-Sectional Analyses,Cross-Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Study,Cross-Sectional Surveys,Disease Frequency Survey,Prevalence Study,Studies, Cross-Sectional,Studies, Prevalence,Study, Cross-Sectional,Study, Prevalence,Survey, Cross-Sectional,Survey, Disease Frequency,Surveys, Cross-Sectional
D005260 Female Females
D006761 Hospitals Institutions with an organized medical staff which provide medical care to patients. Hospital
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013019 South Africa A republic in southern Africa, the southernmost part of Africa. It has three capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). Officially the Republic of South Africa since 1960, it was called the Union of South Africa 1910-1960. Republic of South Africa,Union of South Africa
D014652 Vascular Diseases Pathological processes involving any of the BLOOD VESSELS in the cardiac or peripheral circulation. They include diseases of ARTERIES; VEINS; and rest of the vasculature system in the body. Disease, Vascular,Diseases, Vascular,Vascular Disease

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