Incidence of immune recovery vitritis in cytomegalovirus retinitis patients following institution of successful highly active antiretroviral therapy

This study was conducted to determine the likelihood of the development of a new ocular inflammatory syndrome (immune recovery vitritis, IRV), which c auses vision loss in AIDS patients with cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, wh o respond to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), We followed 30 H AART-responders with CD4 cell counts of greater than or equal to 60 cells/m m(3). Patients were diagnosed with IRV if they developed symptomatic vitrit is of sl; severity associated with inactive CMV retinitis, Symptomatic IRV developed in 19 (63%) of 30 patients and in 26 (59%) of 44 eyes over a medi an follow-up from HAART response of 13.5 months. The annual incidence of IR V was 83/100 person-years. Excluding patients with previous cidofovir thera py did not significantly alter the time course of IRV (P = .79), These data suggest that IRV develops in a significant number of HAART-responders with CMV retinitis and is unrelated to previous cidofovir therapy.