RECURRENCE RATE OF HERPETIC UVEITIS IN PATIENTS ON LONG-TERM ORAL ACYCLOVIR

We examined the recurrence rate of herpetic uveitis (HU) in 13 patient s (group A) treated prophylactically with long-term systemic acyclovir (600-800 mg/day) and compared it with that of 7 patients with no prop hylactic therapy (group B). HU was diagnosed on the basis of a history of dendritic or disciform keratitis accompanied by iridocyclitis and iris atrophy. The study population consisted of 12 men and 8 women wit h a mean age at onset of uveitis of 52.9 years (range 19-78 years). Al l patients were followed for at least 8 months. The mean follow-up tim e of patients on long-term oral acyclovir was 26.0 months. In this gro up, only one patient experienced a single recurrent episode of uveitis while on 600-800 mg/day of acyclovir therapy; two additional patients had recurrence of HU within 16.2 months after the acyclovir dose was tapered below 600 mg/day. In striking contrast, 16 recurrences occurre d in the 7 patients of group B (p < 0.05). Of these, the initial recur rence occurred within an average of 4.3 months following cessation of therapy. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the mean rec urrence-free interval between patients in group A (24.6 months) and th ose in group B (3.4 months). Herpetic uveitis is a serious ocular dise ase in which recurrence of inflammation results in severe ocular compl ications. The long-term use of oral acyclovir may be of benefit in the prevention of recurrences, and hence may reduce the blinding complica tions of this disease. Efforts at completing a randomized, placebo-con trolled trial on this matter by the Herpes Epithelial Disease Study Gr oup were unsuccessful due to insufficient patient recruitment.