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Clinical Features of Ocular Pathology in Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Syphilis

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Abstract

Introduction

The present study aimed to analyze the clinical features of ocular pathology in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) combined with syphilis.

Methods

A total of 129 patients with AIDS and syphilis who first visited the Department of Ophthalmology in Bei**g YouAn Hospital between 2012 and 2019 were included in the study. All patients underwent ophthalmologic examinations, such as best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit lamp, intraocular pressure, dilated fundus examination, and color fundus photography as well as systemic examinations related to AIDS and syphilis. The patients were divided into four groups according to fundus disease: a normal fundi group, an HIV-related microvascular retinopathy (MVR) group, a cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) group, and a syphilis-related retinopathy group.

Results

The incidence of fundus disease was 70.7%. There were 36 patients with normal fundi (29.3%), 40 with HIV-related MVR (31.0%), 25 with CMVR (19.4%) (including 11 cases of CMVR with syphilis-related retinopathy), 26 (20.2%) with syphilis-related retinopathy, 1 (0.78%) case with acute retinal necrosis, and 1 (0.78%) case with PORN. The median blood CD4 + T-cell count in the syphilis-associated retinopathy group was 357.5 cells/μl, which was significantly higher than in the other groups; this difference was statistically significant. In the CMVR group, 11 cases with concomitant syphilis-associated retinopathy had lower BCVA and 10 (90.9%) had active inflammatory manifestations in the anterior segment.

Conclusion

The incidence of ocular pathology was high in patients co-infected with AIDS and syphilis, which might manifest in a variety of ocular manifestations; some patients may also have multiple ocular changes, which should be given great clinical attention.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participants of the study.

Funding

The Scientific Research Project of Bei**g Youan Hospital, CCMU, 2018(YNKTQN20180201). The journal’s Rapid Service Fee was funded by the authors.

Authorship

All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship for this article, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given their approval for this version to be published.

Authorship Contributions

CC and DKF conceived the idea and conceptualized the study. XLY and JTY collected the data. LWJ, DHW, and GCG analyzed the data. CC and DKF drafted the manuscript, and then LXN and WWB reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final draft.

Disclosures

Chao Chen, Kui-Fang Du, Lian-Yong **e, Tai-Yi Jiang, Wen-Jun Kong, Hong-Wei Dong, Chun-Gang Guo, **ao-Na Li, and Wen-Bin Wei have nothing to disclose.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

This study was conducted with approval from the Ethics Committee of Bei**g YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University (2019-027). This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its later amendments. Written informed consent for inclusion in the current study and for publication of the data was obtained from all participants.

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Chao Chen and Kui-Fang Du have contributed equally to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Bei**g YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Bei**g, 100069, China

    Chao Chen, Kui-Fang Du, Lian-Yong **e, Wen-Jun Kong, Hong-Wei Dong, Chun-Gang Guo & **ao-Na Li

  2. Department of Infectious Diseases, Bei**g YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Bei**g, 100069, China

    Tai-Yi Jiang

  3. Bei**g Tongren Eye Center, Bei**g key Laboratory of Intraocular Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment, Bei**g Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Lab, Medical Artificial Intelligence Research and Verification Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Bei**g Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.1 Dongjiaomin Lane, Dongcheng District, Bei**g, 100730, China

    Wen-Bin Wei

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  1. Chao Chen
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Correspondence to Wen-Bin Wei.

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Chen, C., Du, KF., **e, LY. et al. Clinical Features of Ocular Pathology in Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Syphilis. Adv Ther 38, 3362–3372 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-021-01755-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-021-01755-1

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