Features of CMV Retinitis

It has been recommended that patients with AIDS should be screened on the basis of their CD4+ lymphocyte count although the efficacy of screening asymptomatic patients at risk has not been clearly evaluated. Some patients may be asymptomatic with active retinitis and earlier diagnosis and treatment should result in a reduced area of retina involvement and less extension of CMV into the macula. 

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Data regarding the clinical presentation of CMV retinitis, pattern of infection, disease course, and complications have been obtained in the last two decades because of its association with AIDS. Therapy for AIDS has been greatly improved since the mid-1990s with the development and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HA ART). HA ART therapy improves systemic immune function in many patients with AIDS, and thus has drastically altered the incidence and clinical features of CMV retinitis and other opportunistic infections (4). 

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